France has deployed a weapon against ISIS.
No, not Zinedine Zidane. Though he is known for having launched a missile that beat Bayer Leverkusen for Real Madrid in the 2002 Champions League Final.

French jets have launched an attack on an ISIR stronghold in Raqqa, Syria, a site identified by U.S. intelligence, in retaliation for Friday night's multi-pronged attack in Paris.

That attack included a suicide bomber who tried to get into the Stade de France for the match between France and Germany.

The murdering bastards killed at least 129 people, the majority in a theater where an American rock band was performing, before police stormed in and killed 8 of them. Allegedly, there is still 1 of them on the run (not one of those in the theater).

Bonne Chance, Armée de l'air. Go get 'em!

The Brooklyn Nets visit the Boston Celtics this coming Friday night, and on Saturday, January 2. The New York Knicks visit on Sunday, December 27, and on Friday, March 4.

The New York Knickerbockers and the Boston Celtics are the only 2 teams left from the 1st NBA season of 1946-47 still playing in their original cities -- and, until 1995, the Celtics were the only one of those still playing in their original arena. Between them, they've won 19 NBA Championships -- although only 2 of those by the Knicks -- and reached the NBA Finals 29 times (the Celtics 21, the Knicks 8).

Yet these 2 historic franchises are both struggling at the moment: The Celtics have spun their wheels since the breakup of their "Big 3" of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen; while the Knicks are run by James Dolan, an enemy even Phil Jackson cannot defeat.

Some of you are Yankee Fans who hate the Red Sox. Some of you are Jet fans who hate the Patriots. Some of you are Red Bulls fans who hate the Revolution. Some of you are Devils, Rangers or Islanders fans who hate the Bruins.

This is a reminder for those of you whose memory doesn't go back any further than the late 1990s, when Pedro Martinez was the first true bastard of New England sports that you can remember, and for whom the late 2000s Celtics were admirable: Once upon a time, the Celtics were a spectacular combination of greatness and evil.

You may have heard it said that the early 1970s Knicks were the ultimate in team play in basketball. That's a load of malarkey: The Celtics, as assembled by head coach and general manager Arnold "Red" Auerbach, were the ultimate in team play. It's why, in Bill Russell's 13 seasons as a player, the Celtics got to the Eastern Conference Finals all 13 times, won the Conference title 12 times, and won the NBA title 11 times. (In all of sports, only Henri Richard of the Montreal Canadiens can match those 11 titles. Yogi Berra leads baseball with 10 World Series rings.)

It's why Russell could face Wilt Chamberlain, the most dominating player the game has ever known -- in Philadelphia with the Warriors, in San Francisco with the Warriors, in Philadelphia again with the 76ers, in Los Angeles with the Lakers, and of course in Boston itself -- 9 times in postseason play and win 8 times. (Only with the 1967 76ers did Wilt beat Russ in the Playoffs, and went on to win his 1st title.) It's why Wilt could set an NBA record of 55 rebounds, which still stands, against Russell, the greatest defensive player of the era except for Wilt, and the Celtics still won the ballgame. Wilt always had good teams around him (with guys like Tom Gola, Guy Rodgers, Nate Thurmond, Hal Greer, Chet Walker, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor and Gail Goodrich, Hall-of-Famers all), but the Celtics had the best team.

And they were dirty. Wilt hardly ever lost his cool, but there was a time when he started walking toward Sam Jones with a menacing look in his eye, and Jones picked up a chair; seeing that Sam was ready to throw it if need be, Wilt backed off. Russell, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones (no relation), Tom Heinsohn, and especially Jungle Jim Loscutoff could be dirty as hell.

Overseeing it all (figuratively and literally) was broadcaster Johnny Most. To this day, there are people who swear he once said, across the Celtics' New England radio network, "Chamberlain stuck his eye in Russell's elbow!" And these are Boston fans, bragging about it. Most was the ultimate homer: He made Mel Allen, Phil Rizzuto and John Sterling sound like dispassionate observers by comparison.

(Ironically, Auerbach, Most, Bob Cousy and Tom "Satch" Sanders were all born and raised in New York City. And Tommy Heinsohn is from Jersey City. That's a lot of New York Tri-State Area involved in the building the greatest of all Boston sports teams.)

The Celtics got less dirty in the 1970s, as a new crop of players came up, and Auerbach's influence was limited to the front office. But as the stars of the 1980s came up, they were at it again, turning off the air conditioning in the visiting locker room (yes, the Boston Garden had air conditioning), so their opponents got overheated -- the defining image being Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Lakers needing an oxygen tank on the bench during Game 5 of the 1984 NBA Finals. (Most people will tell you it was Game 7, probably because they like the sound of "Game 7," but they've got it mixed up.)

The Celtics won 8 straight titles from 1959 to 1966, topping the 5 straight of the 1949-53 Yankees and the 1956-60 Montreal Canadiens. They won 16 titles in 30 seasons from 1957 to 1986, a run of dominance that actually tops the Yankees' 20 titles in 40 seasons from 1923 to 1962, if not the Canadiens' 15 titles in 24 seasons seasons from 1956 to 1979.

Once the Larry Bird generation got old, the Boston Garden became a desolate place, and, unlike the Yankees in the 1st season of the new Yankee Stadium, it took them until the 13th season of the new Garden before they won that 17th title. (The Canadiens, however, opened their new arena the same season, and are now in their 21st season there, and still haven't won a Stanley Cup there.)

While the Red Sox have used steroids, the Patriots "Spygate" and "Deflategate," the Bruins letting the ice melt a little in the 2011 Finals, the Revolution diving and hacking (though they're now 0-5 in MLS Cup Finals), and the University of Connecticut's basketball program recruiting violations (the men have been caught and punished, we're still waiting for word on the women), the Celtics' 1 recent title seems unblemished -- but, given the team's history, you never know.

The Celtics are a New England team, and, for a New York Tri-State Area fan, that means that they
must go down.

But, as they're a Boston team, you need to be on your guard.

Before You Go. Boston weather is a little different from ours, being a little bit further north. Mark Twain, who lived the last few years of his life in nearby Hartford, said, “If you don’t like the weather in New England, wait a minute.”

You should check the websites of the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald before you leave. Usually, the temperatures will be a little lower than what we're used to in New York and New Jersey at the same time. At least, being indoors, wind will not be the issue that it sometimes is inside Fenway Park. For the moment, they're predicting mid-50s for Friday afternoon and mid-40s at night. However, if you are considering staying over Friday into Saturday, they are also predicting rain for Saturday.

Do not want to wear is the kind of T-shirt you see sold at the souvenir stands on River Avenue across from Yankee Stadium, with messages like “BAHSTON SAWKS CACK” or “There never was a curse, the Sox just sucked for 86 years!” If you have one (or more) of these, leave them at home. The Chowdaheads are already antagonized by our mere presence in their city, and there's no reason to make it that much worse. Bald Vinny will thank you for your patronage, but he's smart enough to remind you that there is a time and a place where his product is inappropriate.

Boston is in the Eastern Time Zone, so adjusting your watch and your smartphone clock is not necessary. And, of course, despite the silliness of the concept of “Red Sox Nation,” you do not need a passport to cross the New Haven City Line, or to change your money.

Tickets. In the 1960s, when the Bruins stunk and the Celtics were winning title after title, it was the Bruins who hit the Boston Garden's official capacity of 13,909 every game (with standing room not reported due to fire laws, but some people have suggested there was really more than 20,000 inside), while the Celtics found it only half-full. (Gee, could it have been because the Bruins were all-white and the Celtics half-black?) Throughout my youth, with both teams in the Playoffs just about every season, the Bruins always hit the listed capacity of 14,448 and the Celtics 14,890.

Opened in 1995, the building now named the TD Garden (TD is a bank, Toronto-Dominion) seats 17,565 for hockey, slightly less than the Prudential Center, and 18,624 for basketball. The Celtics averaged 17,593 fans per home game last season, about 94 percent of capacity. So, for the moment, tickets will be easier to get than for the Red Sox, Patriots and Bruins.

As with Fenway Park, tickets at TD Garden cost a bundle -- law of supply & demand. In the lower level, the Loge, seats are $206 to $247 between the baskets and $80 to $112 behind them. In the upper level, the Balcony, they're $59 to $81 between the baskets and $30 to $58 behind them.

Getting There. Getting to Boston is fairly easy. However, I do not recommend driving, especially if you have Yankee paraphernalia on your car (bumper sticker, license-plate holder, decals, etc.). Chances are, it won’t get vandalized... but you never know.

If you must drive, it’s 214 miles by road from Times Square to Boston’s Downtown Crossing, and less than another mile to the TD Garden.

If you're coming from Manhattan or The Bronx, get up to the Cross Bronx Expressway. If you're coming from New Jersey, get to the George Washington Bridge to the Cross Bronx. Then, after turning north and moving outside The City, the New England Thruway (or the New England Extension of the New York State Thruway). If you're coming from Brooklyn, Queens or Long Island, get to the Grand Central Parkway and take the Bronx-Whitestone or Throgs Neck Bridge, and follow the signs for Interstate 95 North. 

Continue on I-95 North into Connecticut to Exit 48 in New Haven, and take Interstate 91 North toward Hartford. When you reach Hartford, take Exit 29 to Interstate 84, which you will take into Massachusetts, all the way to its end, where it merges with Interstate 90, the Massachusetts Turnpike. (And the locals call it “the Mass Pike” – never “the Turnpike” like we do in New Jersey.)

Theoretically, you could take I-95 all the way, but that will take you though downtown Providence, Rhode Island, up to the Boston suburbs. I like Providence as a city, but that route is longer by both miles and time than the route described above.

Fenway Park, or at least its light towers, will be visible from the Mass Pike. The last exit on the Pike is Exit 24B. Follow the signs for " Concord NH"/"Interstate 93 N." I-93 becomes the Tip O'Neill Tunnel, then get off at Exit 23 (this is for I-93, not I-95), keep right at the fork, and follow the signs for the North End and North Station, which is under the arena, just as New York's Penn Station is under Madison Square Garden. (In fact, the old Boston Garden/North Station complex may have been the inspiration for the "new" MSG/Penn Station.) 

If all goes well, and you make one rest stop (preferably around Hartford, roughly the halfway point), and you don’t get seriously delayed by traffic within the city limits of either New York or Boston (either of which is very possible), you should be able to make the trip in under 5 hours.

But, please, do yourself a favor and get a hotel outside the city. It's not just that hotels in Boston proper are expensive, unless you want to try one of the thousands of bed-and-breakfasts with their communal bathrooms. It's also that Boston drivers are said to come in 2 classes, depending on how big their car is: Homicidal and suicidal. If you're just going for the one game, then find a park-and-ride for the subway. For example, Exit 14 will take you to Riverside Station in Newton, the terminal for the Green Line D Train. From there, it's a 40-minute ride to the Garden.

Boston, like Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, is too close to fly from New York, and once you factor in fooling around with everything you gotta do at each airport, it doesn’t really save you much time compared to driving, the bus or the train. It certainly won't save you any money.

The train is a very good option. Boston’s South Station is at 700 Atlantic Avenue, corner of Summer Street, at Dewey Square. (Named for Admiral George Dewey, naval hero of the Spanish-American War, not New York Governor and 1944 & ’48 Presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey, and not for former Red Sox right fielder Dwight “Dewey” Evans, either.)

It’ll be $152 round-trip between New York's Penn Station and South Station, and the trip should take less than 5 hours. The last Amtrak train of the night leaves South Station at 9:30, arriving at Penn Station at 2:15 AM, so unless you leave early, you won't make it. Then again, if you can afford the train instead of the bus, chances are, you can afford a hotel room also.

South Station also has a bus terminal attached, and it may be the best bus station in the country – even better than New York’s Port Authority. If you take Greyhound, you’ll leave from Port Authority’s Gate 84, and it will take about 4½ hours, most likely making one stop, at Hartford’s Union Station complex, or in the Boston suburbs of Framingham, Worcester or Newton. New York to Boston and back is tremendously cheaper on the bus than on the train, usually $90 round-trip (dropping to nearly half that, $60, with advanced purchase), and is probably Greyhound’s best run. On the way back, you’ll board at South Station’s Gate 3.

Once In the City. Named for the town of the same name (a shortened version of "St. Botolph's Stone") in Lincolnshire, in England's East Midlands, Boston is home to about 650,000 people, with a metropolitan area (including the areas of Hartford, Providence, and Manchester, New Hampshire) of about 7.6 million, making it the largest metro area in the country with only 1 MLB team (trailing only the 2-team areas of New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area).

Boston is easily the largest city not just in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, but in all of New England. The next-largest are Worcester, Massachusetts and Providence, Rhode Island, each with around 180,000. The largest in Connecticut is Bridgeport with 145,000; New Hampshire's largest is Manchester with 110,000; Maine's is Portland with 66,000, and Vermont's is Burlington with a mere 42,000. Of New England's 100 largest cities and towns, 53 are in Massachusetts, 30 in Connecticut, 9 in Rhode Island, 4 in New Hampshire, 3 in Maine and 1, Burlington, in Vermont; only 2 of the top 17 are outside Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Counting New England as a whole -- except for the southwestern part of Connecticut, which tilts toward New York -- there are about 13.5 million people in "Red Sox Nation." This isn't even close to the top, when "markets" are viewed this liberally -- the Yankees have close to 20 million in theirs, and the Atlanta Braves lead with over 36 million -- but it does rank 7th out of 30 MLB markets, and aside from the Yankees none of the pre-expansion teams has as big a market.

Boston is also one of the oldest cities in America, founded in 1630, and the earliest to have been truly developed. (New York is actually older, 1626, but until City Hall was built and the grid laid out in 1811 it was pretty much limited to the 20 or so blocks from the Battery to Chambers Street.) It's got the history: The colonial era, the Revolutionary period its citizens did so much to make possible, the abolitionist movement prior to the Civil War, Massachusetts' role in that conflict, the Industrial Revolution. Aside from New York, it was the only city on the Eastern Seaboard to have grasped the concept of the skyscraper until the 1980s.

It also has America's first college, Harvard University, across the Charles River in Cambridge, and a few other institutions of higher learning of some renown in or near the city: Boston College, Boston University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Northeastern University, Tufts University, College of the Holy Cross, and so on. The particular instance of Harvard, funded by Boston's founding families, resulted in Boston and the surrounding area having a lot of "old money." And then there's all those Massachusetts-based writers.

All this gives Boston an importance, and a self-importance, well beyond its interior population. One of those aforementioned writers, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (grandfather of the great Supreme Court Justice of the same name), named the city "the Hub of the Solar System"; somehow, this became "the Hub of the Universe" or just "The Hub." Early 19th Century journalist William Tudor called Boston "the Athens of America" -- but, as a Harvard man, he would have studied ancient Greece and realized that, while contributing greatly to the political and literary arts, Athens could be pretty dictatorial, warmongering, and slavery-tolerating at times. Later sportswriters have called the Sox-Yanks (in that order) rivalry "Athens and Sparta." (Remember, if not for Sparta, all of Greece would have fallen to the Persian Empire.)

Well, to hell with that: We are New York/New Jersey Fans. We are based in, or around, the greatest city in the world, and we don't even have to capitalize that.

The sales tax in Massachusetts is 6.25 percent, less than New Jersey’s 7 percent and New York City’s 8.875 percent. However, aside from that, pretty much everything in Boston and neighboring cities like Cambridge, Brookline and Quincy costs about as much as it does in New York City, and more than in the NYC suburbs. In other words, a bundle. So don't get sticker-shock.

When you get to South Station, if you haven't already read The Boston Globe on your laptop or smartphone, pick it up. It's a great paper with one of the country’s best sports sections. There’s probably no paper that covers its local baseball team better, although the columns of Dan Shaughnessy (who did not coin but certainly popularized the phrase “The Curse of the Bambino” and wrote a book with the title) and Tony Massarotti (who started at the rival Herald and whose style is more in line with theirs) can be a bit acerbic.

You will also be able to pick up the New York papers at South Station, if you want any of them. If you must, you can also buy the Boston Herald, but it’s a tabloid, previously owned by William Randolph Hearst and Rupert Murdoch. Although neither’s man's company still owns it, it carries all the hallmarks of the papers that they have owned (Murdoch still owns the New York Post, the Hearst Corporation owned the New York Journal and its successor, the New York Journal-American, which went out of business in 1966). In other words, the Herald is a right-wing pack of sensationalism, frequently sloppy journalism, and sometimes outright lies, but at least it does sports well (sometimes).

Once you have your newspapers, take the escalator down to the subway. Boston had the nation’s first subway service, in 1897, along Boston Common on what’s now named the Green Line. Formerly known as the Metropolitan Transit Authority, leading to the folk song “MTA,” in 1965 it became the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), or “the T,” symbolized by the big T signs where many cities, including New York, would have M’s instead.

(Here's a link to the most familiar version of the song, done by the Kingston Trio in 1959. Keep in mind that Scollay Square station is now named Government Center, and that the reason Mrs. Charlie doesn't give him the extra nickel along with the sandwich isn't that she keeps forgetting, but that they're acting on principle, protesting the 5-cent exit fare -- my, how times have changed.)

Boston was one of the last cities to turn from subway tokens to farecards, in 2006, a decade after New York's switch was in progress. A ride costs $2.50 with cash, the same as New York's subway, and if you're there for the entire series, it may be cheaper to get a 7-day pass for $18. (The MBTA 1-day pass is $11, so the 7-day pass is a better option.)

There are 4 lines: Red, Green, Orange and Blue. Don't worry about the Silver Line: That's basically an underground bus service designed to get people to Logan International Airport. (General Edward L. Logan was a South Bostonian who became a hero of World War I and then the commander of the Massachusetts National Guard. Boston kept the name on their airport in spite of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, leaving New York to name an airport after that great Bostonian.) Chances are, you won’t be using the Blue Line at all on your trip, and the Orange Line might not be used, either.

It's important to remember that Boston doesn't have an "Uptown" and "Downtown" like Manhattan, or a "North Side,""East Side,""South Side" or "West Side" like many other cities. It does have a North End and a South End (which should not be confused with the neighborhood of South Boston); and it has an East Boston, although the West End was mostly torn down in the late 1950s to make way for the sprawling complex of the new Massachusetts General Hospital. Note also that Boston doesn't have a "centerpoint," where all the street addresses start at 1 and move out in 100-segments for each block. It doesn't even remotely have a north-south, east-west street grid like New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, and so on.

So for subway directions, remember this: Any train heading toward Downtown Crossing (where the Red and Orange Lines intersect), Park Street (Red and Green Lines), State Street (Blue and Orange Lines) or Government Center (Blue and Green Lines), is "Inbound." Any train going away from those 4 downtown stations is "Outbound." This led to a joke that certain Red Sox pitchers who give up a lot of home runs have "been taken downtown more than the Inbound Red Line."

I should point out that Government Center station is closed for renovations until this coming March, which is a major pain since it's a key interchange. For anything that could be reached by that station, such as City Hall of Faneuil Hall, use State station.

South Station is on the Red Line. If you’re coming by Amtrak or Greyhound, and are up only for the one game and are going directly to Fenway, take the Red Line to Park Street – known locally as “Change at Park Street Under” (or “Change at Pahk Street Undah” in the local dialect) – and then take the Green Line toward Lechmere. Although not labeled as such, this could be the "A train," as the ones going outbound are the B (terminating at Boston College and having that on its marquee), C (Cleveland Circle), D (Riverside)  or E (Huntington Avenue) trains. If you’re starting your Garden voyage from a hotel, take any train that gets you to a transfer point to a Green Line train. It can also be reached from the Orange Line.
Going In. The building was originally named the Shawmut Center, named for a bank, which in turn was named for the original Native American name for the land on which Boston now sits. Before it could open, Fleet Bank bought out Shawmut, and the building opened in 1995 as the FleetCenter (1 word). In 2005, TD bought out Fleet, and it became the TD Banknorth Garden, before becoming simply the TD Garden in 2009.

The T station for the Garden is "North Station" -- the Boston Garden name is no longer part of it. With the old Garden, the Orange Line was underground while the Green Line was elevated. In a 1986 Sports Illustrated article, Boston native Leigh Montville said the spot underneath the Green Line in front of the Garden was the wettest spot on Earth. Now, both lines are underground.

The address of the old Boston Garden was 150 Causeway Street. The address of the new TD Garden is 100 Legends Way. It's roughly the same spot, but the old Garden was on Causeway, while the new Garden was built behind it, and the old one was demolished for a parking lot for the new one. Parking is $9.00, relatively cheap compared to other NBA and NHL arenas, and cheap considering it's Boston. But driving to and in Boston is ridiculous, and parking is at least as bad.
The entrances to North Station are on the east and west sides, and escalators will take you from the Station to the Garden.

In addition to the Celtics, the Garden usually hosts an annual Coaches vs. Cancer basketball tripleheader, featuring all Bay State schools: In the fall of 2014, it was Northeastern vs. Boston University, Boston College vs. the University of Massachusetts (UMass), and Harvard vs. Holy Cross. However, for this season, it was canceled. They hope to host it again next season.

Like its predecessor did from the 1952-53 season to 1994-95, it hosts the annual Beanpot, a hockey tournament between BU (30-time winners and current holders), BC (19-time winners, last in 2014), Harvard (10-time winners, last in 1993) and Northeastern (4-time winners, last in 1988). As far as I know, Detroit is the only other U.S. city that hosts a college hockey tournament like this.

The Garden, then still known as the FleetCenter, hosted the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Its predecessor never did, but it held many political rallies, liberal and conservative, most notably the Election Eve rally of Boston's native son, John F. Kennedy, in 1960.

The Beatles played the old Garden on September 12, 1964. Elvis Presley played it on November 10, 1971. It also hosted James Brown on April 5, 1968, Brown insisting to Mayor Kevin White that the show must go on after the assassination of Martin Luther King, so as to keep the peace. White agreed, decided to call Boston's PBS station, WGBH-Channel 2, and have them televise it live, and he announced that anyone who didn't have a ticket should watch it at home, instead of going to the Garden and risking additional strife. It worked, and it's known as "The Night James Brown Saved Boston."

Food. Dunkin Donuts started in the Boston suburbs, and has stands inside the TD Garden. What else do you need to know?

Okay, okay. The Frank House (not named for Celtics legend Frank Ramsey) serves customized hot dogs (behind Sections 3, 10, 14, 21, 302, 308, 310, 315, 317, 324 and 327). The Links Grill offers "Old World Italian Sausage with peppers and onions and a Jumbo All Beef Dog with your favorite toppings" (17, 310, 322, 330). They have a Back Bay Carvery with roast beef and turkey sandwiches (8 and 323). They have Sal's Pizza (6, 307 and 325), a Kosher Café (4), and West End Brew, with "Crispy Chicken Tenders, a bucket of Spicy Cheese Fries, and a soon-to-be Garden favorite – Lobster Rangoon" (8 and 19). For dessert, Sweet Spot is behind 309.

Team History Displays. Like the Yankees, the only team title notations that the Celtics have on display are for their World Championships. While the Bruins hang 6 Stanley Cup banners, they also hang a banner mentioning of their 25 Division Championships, one for their 17 Prince of Wales Trophies, one for their 4 Conference Championships (post-1982 realignment) and one for their 2 President's Trophies, plus 10 banners, for each of their retired numbers.

The Celtics' banner display, the parquet floor, and that winking leprechaun at center court were all cited as intimidating factors for opposing teams. But they don't hang banners for their 21 Atlantic Division titles, or even for the years they won the Division but failed to win the Eastern Conference: 1972, 1973, 1975, 1980, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1992, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Nor do they hang banners for their 21 Conference Titles, or even for the years they won the Conference but lost the NBA Finals: 1958, 1985, 1987 and 2010. (There are photos from the 1960s which show Conference and Division title banners, green with white lettering, but those are long gone.)

Instead, their banners, white with green bordering and lettering, are all for their NBA Championships, 17 of them: 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1984, 1986 and 2008. (The Lakers have won 16, but "only" 9 since they moved to L.A., so a 17th title wouldn't really match the Celtics' record.)
To put the Celtics' glory in perspective: From May 1941 to January 2002, in their sports' finals, the Celtics went 16-3, while all other Boston sports teams were 2-17. The Bruins were 2-10, the Red Sox 0-4, the Patriots 0-2 (0-3 if you count the AFL) and the Braves 0-1. Even if you count the New England Whalers in their World Hockey Association days, that 2-17 only rises to 3-18. However, from February 2002 onward, the Patriots are 4-2, the Red Sox 3-0, and the Celtics and Bruins both 1-1; total, 9-4; overall total, from the Red Sox' win in the 1st World Series of 1903 to today, Boston is 39-25 in finals. (Though that drops to 39-30 if you count the New England Revolution of MLS.)


There are 39 men with some sort of connection to the Celtics in the Basketball Hall of Fame, but some of these connections are stronger than others. For example, John Thompson played for the Celtics during their 1960s title dynasty, but is in the Hall for his coaching at Georgetown University.

There are 18 players who were with the Celtics for at least 4 seasons and are in the Hall. Two of these have not had their uniform numbers retired: Nate "Tiny" Archibald (7, although his 10 is retired by the Sacramento Kings for his time with them as the Kansas City Kings -- and he's another New Yorker who starred for the Celtics) and Bailey Howell (18, probably better known as a Detroit Piston, although they haven't retired his number).

The Celtics have 22 retired-number honorees, more than any team in sports, even the Yankees. Unlike the Bruins, who have individual banners with full names for their honorees (Number 4 is listed as "Robert G. Orr" instead of "Bobby Orr"), the Celtics have 3 banners with room for 8 numbers each, and only the numbers.

1st banner: 22, 14, 23, 15, 21, 25, 24, 6.
2nd banner: 1, 16, 19, LOSCY, 17, 18, 10, 2.
3rd banner: 3, 33, 32, 35, 00, 31, with room for 2 more.
The only player honored from before they started winning titles is Number 22, center Ed Macauley -- and it's been joked that, since he was the trade bait for Bill Russell, that's reason enough. Actually, Macauley is in the Hall of Fame, although he helped beat the Celtics for the St. Louis Hawks in 1958, to give the franchise now in Atlanta its only title.


From their late 1950s and early 1960s titles: 1, Walter Brown, owner of the company that ran the Garden, and thus the owner of both the Celtics and the Bruins, and thus in both the Basketball and Hockey Halls of Fame; 2, Red Auerbach, head coach 1950-66, general manager 1950-84, president 1984-2006 (when he died); 14, guard Bob Cousy; 15, forward Tommy Heinsohn; 16, forward Tom "Satch" Sanders; 18, forward Jim Loscutoff (who, by his request, is honored instead with the letters "LOSCY"); 21, guard Bill Sharman; 23, forward Frank Ramsey; 24, guard Sam Jones; and 25, guard K.C. Jones. Also a microphone for radio announcer Johnny Most. Cousy and Heinsohn have also broadcast for the Celtics.

From their late 1960s titles: Auerbach, Russell, Sanders, both Joneses and Most; 17, forward John Havlicek; and 19, forward Don Nelson (who is in the Hall of Fame, but for what he achieved as a coach).

From their 1970s titles: Auerbach, Havlicek, Nelson and Most, plus Heinsohn as head coach; 10, guard Jo Jo White; and 18, center Dave Cowens.

From their 1980s titles: Auerbach, K.C. Jones as head coach, and Most; 00, center Robert Parish; 3, guard Dennis Johnson; 31, forward Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell; 32, forward Kevin McHale; 33, forward Larry Bird. K.C. coached their 1984 and 1986 titles. Bill Fitch coached their 1981 title, making him, along with Doc Rivers, the only title-winning Celtic coach not yet honored. Also not yet retired is the 44 of guard Danny Ainge, now the general manager and the architect of the 2008 title.

Since their 1986 title, the only honoree has been Number 35, forward Reggie Lewis, who died while still an active player. He, Loscutoff and Maxwell are the only Celtic honorees who are not yet in the Hall of Fame. (White was elected earlier this year.)

1st banner: 22, 14, 23, 15, 21, 25, 24, 6.
2nd banner: 1, 16, 19, LOSCY, 17, 18, 10, 2.
3rd banner: 3, 33, 32, 35, 00, 31, with room for 2 more.

Cousy, Sharman, Sam Jones, Russell, Havlicek, Cowens, Bird, McHale and Parish were named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. Russell, Cousy, Sharman and Jones had previously been named to the NBA's 25th Anniversary Team.

From the 2008 title, Kevin Garnett (5), Ray Allen (20) and Paul Pierce (34) are still active players, and Rajon Rondo (9) is still with the Celtics. I suspect they will be honored when they retire, as well as Rivers. Most likely, his notation will be "DOC," since he never played for the Celtics; he played for 4 teams, including the Knicks, and always wore Number 25, which the Celtics have already retired for K.C. Jones. Perhaps they'll also add Ainge's 44. Either way, after retiring 2 of these, they'll have to move on to a 4th such banner. If all of those are retired, then the only numbers below 35 still available will be 0, 4, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30.

(Interestingly, while it is one of the most common nicknames in sports, according to Basketball-Reference.com, Glenn Anton Rivers is the only NBA player or coach generally known as "Doc," although such men as Jack Ramsay, who have doctorates, have been known as "Doctor (name)," and, of course, Julius Erving was "Doctor J," but rarely shortened to "Doc.")

The Garden is also home to The Sports Museum of New England, encompassing all sports in the 6-State area; and a statue commemorating the overtime goal that Orr scored to win the 1970 Cup. There are statues of Celtics legends Red Auerbach and Bill Russell, but they're elsewhere.

Stuff. The Bruins Pro Shop reminds you that, even though the Celtics are by far the more successful team, the Bruins have always been the owners of the Garden (old and new). Anything black and gold takes precedence inside over anything green and white. Nevertheless, both Bruin and Celtic items are available.
Books about the Red Sox are plentiful; the other Boston-area teams, less so. But the Celtics, as one might guess from their storied (in more ways than one) history, have their contributions to good sports literature.


Peter May wrote the definitive story of what was, for a long time, the last Celtic title: The Last Banner: The Story of the 1985-86 Celtics and the NBA's Greatest Team of All Time. That's a title that longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan, who's been watching the Celtics close-up since he got to Boston College half a century ago, publicly agreed with on a 1996 ESPN Classic special designed to debate that question. When the Celtics finally made the title of May's book obsolete, he wrote the definitive story of that championship: Top of the World: The Inside Story of the Boston Celtics' Amazing One-Year Turnaround to Become NBA Champions.

Although a native of Trenton, New Jersey, his BC tenure made Ryan a Bostonian by osmosis. (That is possible. Bostonians are not like Southerners, with a motto of, "A cat can climb into the oven to have her kittens, but that don't make 'em biscuits.") Ryan's books include his recent memoir Scribe: My Life In Sports, which has chapters about the 1970, 1974, 1981 and 1986 Celtics, plus chapters dedicated to Auerbach, Cousy, Heinsohn, Havlicek, Cousy and Bird; a record of the 1974 Celtic title, Celtics Pride: The Rebuilding of Boston's World Championship Basketball Team (1975); and an overall history of the team, published in 1990, Boston Celtics: The History, Legends, and Images of America's Most Celebrated Team. He also collaborated on the autobiographies of the 2 greatest Celtic forwards, Havlicek's Hondo: Celtic Man in Motion and Bird's Drive: The Story of My Life; and with Cousy on a 1988 book about the team, Cousy on the Celtic Mystique. 

DVD collections have been put together for the Celtics' 1986 and 2008 titles, and in 2004, as part of their Dynasty Series, the NBA released Boston Celtics: The Complete History. (With the late-2000s revival, it is now woefully incomplete.)

They've also released The Essentials: Five All-Time Great Games of the Boston Celtics. These 5 games are: Game 7 of the 1984 East Semifinals against the Knicks (Bird & Co. taking on Bernard King), the 1986 title clincher against the Houston Rockets, Game 7 of the 1988 East Semifinals against the Atlanta Hawks, Game 7 of the 2008 East Semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers (the game that essentially meant that LeBron James would have to leave Cleveland to win a title), and the 2008 title clincher against the Lakers (also known as Kobe Bryant's ultimate on-court humiliation -- not to be confused with his in-court humiliation).

The Globe staff put together, and sat for interviews for, Boston's Greatest Sports Stories: Behind the Headlines. I have this DVD, and it's fantastic, even if you don't like the teams involved. It has Ryan, Dan Shaughnessy, Leigh Montville, Bud Collins, Jackie MacMullan and others telling it like it was about the C's, the B's, the Sox, the Pats, and other local sports moments, ranging from the joyous (the 2004 Sox triumph had just happened when it was made) to the sorrowful (the deaths of Len Bias and Reggie Lewis), from the sublime (the steals of Havlicek, Bird and Gerald Henderson, and the great moments of Orr, Carl Yastrzemski and the young Tom Brady) to the ridiculous (Rosie Ruiz, that blackout at the old Garden during the 1988 Stanley Cup Finals).

During the Game. I only saw one sporting event at the old Garden; and, to date, have only seen one at the new Garden. Both were hockey games, Devils vs. Bruins. I have never seen a Celtics game, home or away. But there was a game I saw at the Meadowlands in 1986, when the Lakers came in as defending NBA Champions, and there was this guy behind the basket that kept standing up and holding up a sign that said "CELTIC POWER" with Bird's Number 33 on it. Did he know the Celtics weren't in the building? Was he trying to send a message to Magic Johnson, with whom Bird essentially alternated titles and MVP awards with in the 1980s?

Am I saying that Celtic fans are dumb? No -- only that that particular Celtic fan was dumb. However, there is an innate insularity among people in "Greater Boston," and whether they take kindly to visitors on a given day is a crapshoot. And, unlike the old Garden, with its cramped quarters, obstructed views, and decades of Celtic arrogance, the new Garden doesn't exactly ooze menace. The parquet floor has no dead spots. The center court leprechaun's wink is more whimsical than foreboding. There are no rats. Why, even the air-conditioning in the visitors' locker room works just fine. The greatest home-court advantage in the NBA no longer rests atop North Station.

With a season's glory depending very little on the result of this game, the locals may not be inclined to compromise their safety, or yours. If a fan near you wants to engage in civil discussion, by all means, engage back. If not, get a feel for those around you, to see if they're going to be okay, before you start talking to any of them. Most likely, if you behave yourself, so will they. If you simply support your team, and lay off theirs, you should be all right.

Because, let’s face it, like any other group of people, there’s always a 1 percent (or less) who ruin it for the other 99 percent. The type of people parodied in the Saturday Night Live sketch “The Boston Teens” (featuring Jimmy Fallon before he played a Sox fan in the U.S. version of Fever Pitch) were, in the Pedro Martinez era (1998-2004), too young to remember 1986, let alone 1978, 1975, 1967, or Boston’s agonizing close calls of the late 1940s -- or the Bruin titles of the 1970s and the close calls of the 1980s, or the Celtics' down period around the time of the arena changeover, or the Pats' Victor Kiam era before Bill Parcells revived them.

These fans, these Townies, the British would call them “chavs” (and no American city is chavvier than Boston, at least not that I know of), really didn’t deserve the Sox victories of 2004, 2007 or 2013; the Pats victories of 2002, 2004, and 2005; the Celtics title of 2008; or the Bruins title of 2011 and near-title of 2013 -- and yet they’re the first to brag about them.

So if the Celtic fans around you just want to talk, by all means, talk with them. But keep it on a civil level. If they don’t want to antagonize you, why antagonize them? These are not the Townies: They’re basketball fans first and Celtic fans second. So be a basketball fan first and a Knick (or Net) fan second. It’s worth it.

John Kiley was the long-time organist at the Garden and Fenway Park, and thus the answer to the trivia question, "Who played for the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins?" But he's gone, now, and so is Johnny Most.

The Celtics hold auditions for singing the National Anthem, rather than having a regular singer. I don't know if Celtic fans have a noted chant or song that they sing during games, unless you count, "Let's go, Celtics!""Ayo Technology" by 50 Cent (another New Yorker borrowed by the Celtics) is their pregame introduction song.

Red Auerbach insisted that the Celtics would never have cheerleaders for as long as he lived. He kept that promise unto his death on October 28, 2006. Shortly thereafter, Celtic cheerleaders were introduced. So was a live-action mascot, a representation of their center-court symbol, Lucky the Leprechaun. He is the only NBA mascot who shows his actual face, rather than wearing a big foam head over his costume. (Notre Dame's leprechaun mascot also shows his real face.)
Like the Red Sox, they play "Dirty Water" by the Standells as a postgame victory song, even though the band, and the song's writer Bob Cobb, were from hated Los Angeles.

After the Game. Win or lose, get out of the arena and back to your hotel (or to South Station or the park-and-ride you parked at, if you came up just for the day) as quickly and as quietly as possible. This will require you to be on the streets of Boston, and, unless you can get a taxi (don’t count on it), to take the Green Line in one direction or the other.

You’ll have to take some verbal on the streets and especially on the subway. Respond as little as possible. This is a good time to observe the advice of the great football coach Paul Brown: “When you win, say little; and when you lose, say less.”

Chances are, no one will try to pick a fight with you, or damage your Knicks/Nets gear (by spilling a drink on it, or worse). Most Celtics fans, regardless of how much they’ve had to drink, will not fight. And if they see New York/Brooklyn fans ready to defend each other, they could very well back off entirely.

Perhaps the best way to avoid a confrontation is to stay at your seat for as long as the Garden ushers will let you. This is a tactic used in European and Latin American soccer, with stadium stewards keeping the visiting fans in their section until the entire rest of the stadium is emptied of home supporters, to minimize the chance of hooliganism. This will also allow the crowd to thin out a little and make it easier to leave the park, regardless of the level of aggression.

Another way to avoid any unpleasantness is to find a bar where New Yorkers not only hang out, but are left alone. Easier said than done, right? Well, just as the Riviera Café off Sheridan Square in the West Village and Professor Thom’s on 2nd Avenue in the East Village are New Englander-friendly bars in New York, there are places in Boston that welcome New Yorkers and New Jerseyans.

The following establishments were mentioned in a Boston Globe profile during the 2009 World Series: Champions, at the Marriott Copley Place hotel at 110 Huntington Avenue (Green Line to Copley); The Sports Grille, at 132 Canal Street (across from North Station and the Garden, Green Line to North Station); and, right across from Fenway itself, Game On! at 82 Lansdowne Street. I’ve also heard that Jillian’s, across from Fenway at 145 Ipswich Street, takes in Yankee Fans, but I’ve only seen it rammed with Chowdaheads, so I would advise against it.

The local Giants fan club meets at The Greatest Bar – a name, if not an apt description – is at 262 Friend Street off Canal, a block from the Garden. M.J. O'Conor's, at 27 Columbus Avenue at Church Street, in the Back Bay, is the local home of Jets fans. (Green Line to Arlington.)

Several noted drinking emporiums are near TD Garden. Perhaps the most famous, and once rated the best sports bar in America by Sports Illustrated, is The Fours, at 166 Canal Street. It’s named for “the Miracle of the Fours”: 1970 Stanley Cup Finals, Game 4, overtime (therefore the 4th period), winning goal scored by Number 4, Bobby Orr, while tripped up by Noel Picard, Number 4 of the St. Louis Blues, to clinch the Bruins’ 4th Stanley Cup. (Some people like to point out that it was Orr's 4th goal of the Finals, but this is incorrect: It was his 1st.) McGann’s isn't exactly New York Tri-State Area-friendly, but it is close to the Garden, at 197 Portland Street.

But the 2 most famous Boston sports-related bars will be unavailable to you: The Eliot Lounge, in the Eliot Hotel at the convenient intersection of Massachusetts & Commonwealth Avenues, closed in 1996; while Daisy Buchanan's, postgame home to many a Boston and visiting athlete, closed last year -- at its original location, anyway: 240A Newbury Street at Fairfield. It's a development issue, and the owner says he's going to try to reopen the bar, named for The Great Gatsby's lost love, elsewhere. Bruins star turned broadcaster Derek Sanderson was one of the original 1969 owners.

Sidelights. Boston is probably America’s best sports city, per-capita, and the number of sports-themed sites you might want to check out is large:

* Solomon Court at Cabot Center. This is part of Northeastern University’s athletic complex, and was the site of the Huntington Avenue Grounds, the only other home the Boston Red Sox have ever known, from their founding in 1901 to 1911. When the Sox won the first World Series in 1903, it was clinched here. At roughly the spot where the pitcher’s mound was, there is a statue of Cy Young, who pitched for the Sox in their 1903 and 1904 World Championship seasons. Huntington Avenue at Forsyth Street. Green Line E train to Northeastern.

* South End Grounds. This is still the most successful baseball location in Boston history. It was home to 3 ballparks, all named the Sound End Grounds. In 1871, the first such park was built there, and was home to the Boston Red Stockings of the first professional baseball league, the National Association. This team featured half the members of the first openly professional team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings (hence the name), and also had a young pitcher named Al Spalding, who would later co-found the team now known as the Chicago Cubs and the sporting-goods empire that still bears his name. Those Boston Red Stockings team won Pennants in 1872, ’73, ’74 and ’75, and its strength (domination, really) was one of the reasons the NA collapsed.

When the National League was founded in 1876, the Red Stockings were a charter member. They won Pennants in 1877 and ’78, and by the time they won the 1883 Pennant, they were popularly known as the “Boston Beaneaters.” No, I'm not making that name up. Building a new park on the site in 1888, they won Pennants in 1891, ’92 and ’93. But on May 15, 1894, in a game against the NL version of the Baltimore Orioles, a fight broke out, and no one noticed that some kids had started a fire in the right-field seats. (Or maybe it was the ashes of a grown man’s cigar. Both have been suggested, probably nobody knew for sure.) It became known as the Great Roxbury Fire, and the story goes that the park and 117 (or 170, or 200) buildings burned to the ground, and 1,900 people were left homeless – but nobody died. (I don’t buy that last part at all.)

A new park was hastily built on the site, while the Beaneaters temporarily played at the home of the city’s team in the 1890 Players’ League. This last South End Grounds hosted the Braves' 1897 and '98 Pennant winners, and lasted until 1914, when, with the team now called the Braves (owner James Gaffney had been a “Brave,” or officer, in New York’s Tammany Hall political organization), decided it was too small for the crowds the team was now attracting. So he moved the team to Fenway, and played their 1914 World Series games there, and opened Braves Field the next season. Overall, 12 Pennants were won here, in a 44-year span -- one more than the Red Sox have won at Fenway Park in 102 seasons.

Parking for Northeastern University is now on the site -- and save your Joni Mitchell jokes. Columbus Avenue at Hammond Street. Orange Line to Ruggles.

* Third Base Saloon. There’s some question as to what was the first “sports bar”: St. Louis Brown Stockings (the team now known as the Cardinals) owner Chris von der Ahe’s place on the grounds of Sportsman’s Park, or Michael T. McGreevy’s establishment that opened just outside the South End Grounds, both in the 1880s. “I call it Third Base because it’s the last place you go before home,” McGreevy would tell people. “Enough said.” McGreevy used that phrase to settle any and all arguments to the point where not only did “Nuf Ced” become his nickname, but he had it (spelled that way) laid in mosaic tile on the bar’s floor.

Third Base Saloon became the headquarters of the Royal Rooters, a Beaneaters’ booster club, founded in 1897. In 1901, when the American League and the team that became the Red Sox was formed, Beaneaters founder-owner Arthur Soden made one of the dumbest mistakes in sports history: Despite competition practically next-door to his team, he raised ticket prices. This infuriated the working-class Irish fan base of the NL club, and they immediately accepted Nuf Ced’s suggestion of switching to the AL outfit. (I wonder if they built their park near Nuf Ced's place for just that reason, to get his customers?)

Nuf Ced and the Rooters stayed with the Sox after their 1912 move to Fenway, until 1920 when Prohibition closed him down. He died in 1930, and to this day, no Boston baseball team has ever won a World Series without him being present at all home games. (Not legitimately, anyway.) A park with a bike trail is now on the site, so the address, 940 Columbus Avenue, is no longer in use. As with the site of South End Grounds, take the Orange Line to Ruggles.

A new version, named McGreevy’s 3rd Base Saloon, was founded by Dropkick Murphys member Ken Casey, with “an exact replica of McGreevy’s original barroom.” 911 Boylston Street. Green Line B, C or D train to Hynes-Convention Center.

* Matthews Arena. Built in 1910 as the Boston Arena -- in fact, today is the anniversary, April 16 -- this is the oldest currently-used multi-purpose athletic building in use in the world. Northeastern still uses it, while BC, BU, Harvard, MIT and Tufts all once played home games here. It was the Bruins' first home, from 1924 to 1928, and the Celtics played the occasional home game here from 1946 to 1955, on occasions when there was a scheduling conflict with the Garden. In 1985, the Celtics played an alumni game here, with the opposing teams coached by Red Auerbach (his players wearing the white home jerseys) and Bill Russell (who didn't play, his players wearing the road green).

A gift from NU alumnus George J. Matthews led the school to rename the arena for him. In spite of its age, the building is fronted by a modern archway. Massachusetts Avenue at St. Botolph Street. Green Line E train to Symphony. Symphony Hall, Boston's answer to Carnegie Hall, is a block away at Massachusetts and Huntington Avenues.

* Site of Braves Field/Nickerson Field. Although Boston University no longer has a football team, it still plays other sports at Nickerson Field, which opened in 1957. Its home stand is the surviving right field pavilion of Braves Field, where the Braves played from 1915 until they left town. In return for being allowed to play their 1914 World Series games at Fenway, the Braves invited the Sox to play their Series games at Braves Field, which seated 40,000, a record until the first Yankee Stadium was built. The Sox played their home Series games there in 1915, ’16 and ’18.

The Braves themselves only played one World Series here, in 1948, losing to the Indians, who had just beaten the Sox in a one-game Playoff for the AL Pennant at Fenway, negating the closest call there ever was for an all-Boston World Series.

The Braves’ top farm team was the Triple-A version of the Milwaukee Brewers, and, with their team in decline after the ’48 Pennant and the Sox having the far larger attendance, they gave up the ghost and moved just before the start of the 1953 season, and then in 1966 to Atlanta. But they already had Warren Spahn and Eddie Mathews, and, ironically, if they’d just hung on a little longer, they would have had Hank Aaron (they’d already integrated with Sam Jethroe in 1948, 11 years before the Sox finally caved in to the post-1865 world and added Pumpsie Green). They could have played the 1957 and '58 World Series in Boston instead of Milwaukee. If this had happened, once Ted Williams retired in 1960, interest in the declining Sox would have faded to the point that Tom Yawkey, not a Bostonian, could have gotten frustrated, and the Red Sox could have moved with the Braves staying.

If so, while the 1967, ’75, ’86, 2004, ’07 and '13 World Series would have been played somewhere else, Boston would have gained the 1957, ’58, ’91, ’92, ’95, ’96 and ’99 World Series, and, because of the proximity, there would be a big New York-Boston rivalry in baseball, but it would be Mets-Braves. (Of course, this would have meant the Yankees' main rivals would be the Baltimore Orioles -- who are, after all, the closest AL team to them, closer than the Red Sox.)

Instead, the Braves moved, and BU bought the grounds and converted it into Nickerson Field. The NFL’s Boston Redskins (named for the Braves) played their first season, 1932, at Braves Field, before playing 1933-36 at Fenway and then moving to Washington. The AFL’s Boston Patriots played at Nickerson 1960-62, and then at Fenway 1963-68. The former Braves Field ticket office still stands, converted into the BU Police headquarters. Unfortunately, the field is now artificial.

Commonwealth Avenue at Babcock Street and Harry Agganis Way. (Agganis was a BU quarterback who briefly played for the Red Sox before getting sick and dying at age 24 in 1955.) Green Line B train at Pleasant Street.

* Fenway Park. If you can stomach being around so much Soxness -- or if you're a Mets fan and thus a fellow Yankee-Hater -- the Auld Enemy offers tours of their Back Bay bandbox on the hour between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM for $17, accessing the warning track (but not the field), the Green Monster, the Monster Seats, the press box, and the Red Sox Hall of Fame. 4 Yawkey Way (formerly Jersey Street) at Brookline Avenue. Green Line B, C or D (not E) to Kenmore.

Across Lansdowne Street/Ted Williams Way is the Cask 'n' Flagon. This legendary bar is definitely not to be visited by a New York/New Jersey fan while a Boston sporting event is in progress, but one to try at other times. And if you look to your right as you come out of the Kenmore station, you'll see a Barnes & Noble that serves as the Boston University bookstore. If you look up, you'll see that the famous CITGO sign so often shown in shots of Fenway is on top of this building.

NCAA basketball tournament games have been held at the TD Garden, the Hartford Civic Center (now the XL Center), the Providence Civic Center (now the Dunkin Donuts Center), the Worcester Centrum (now the DCU Center), and the University of Rhode Island's Keaney Gymnasium in Kingston. But no New England building has ever hosted a Final Four, and none ever will, due to attendance requirements, unless the Patriots put a dome on Gillette Stadium, or the Sox ever do build a New Fenway, with a dome.

No school within the city limits of Boston has ever reached the Final Four. One Massachusetts school has: Holy Cross, in Worcester, winning the National Championship in 1947 with George Kaftan, "the Golden Greek," and reaching the Final Four again in '48 with Bob Cousy (a freshman in '47 and ineligible under the rules of the time).

The University of Massachusetts, with its main campus in Amherst, made the Final Four in 1996, under coach John Calipari, but had to vacate the appearance when later Knick Marcus Camby admitted he'd accepted money and gifts from agents.

The University of Connecticut (UConn, in Storrs, closer to Boston than to Manhattan) has made it 5 times, winning it all in 1999, 2004, 2011 and 2014, and losing in the Semifinal in 2009. The only New Hampshire school to make it is Dartmouth, in Hanover, in 1942 and 1944, losing in the Final both times. The only Rhode Island school to make it is Providence, in 1973 and 1987 (coached by future Big East Commissioner Dave Gavitt and future preening schmo Rick Pitino, respectively). No school from Maine or Vermont has ever reached the Final Four.

* Alumni Stadium. Boston College has played football here since 1957, and the Patriots played their 1969 home games here. Prior to 1957, BC played at several sites, including Fenway and Braves Field. Beacon Street at Chestnut Hill Drive. Green Line B train to Boston College.

* Harvard Stadium. The oldest continually-used football stadium in America – the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field is on the oldest continually-used football site – this stadium was built in 1903, and renovations (funded by those wealthy Harvard alums) have kept it in tip-top condition, if not turned it into a modern sports palace.

This stadium is responsible for the legalization of the forward pass in football. When the organization that became the NCAA was founded in 1906, rules changes were demanded to make the game safer. One suggestion was widening the field, but Harvard – at the time, having as much pull as Notre Dame, Michigan and Alabama now do, all rolled into one – insisted that they’d just spent all this money on a new stadium, and didn’t want to alter it to suit a rule change. Much as Notre Dame has sometimes been a tail wagging college football’s dog, the Crimson were accommodated, and someone suggested the alternative of legalizing the forward pass, which had occasionally been illegally done.

Today, the stadium is best known as the site of the 1968 Harvard-Yale game, where the two ancient rivals both came into the game undefeated, and a furious late comeback from 29-13 down led to the famous Harvard Crimson (school newspaper) headline “HARVARD BEATS YALE 29-29” and a tie for the Ivy League Championship. (Actor Tommy Lee Jones, then listed as "Tom Jones," started at guard for Harvard in that game. His roommate at Harvard was future Vice President Al Gore.) The Patriots played 1970, their first season in the NFL and last under the name “Boston Patriots,” at Harvard Stadium.

Although its mailing address is 65 North Harvard Street in “Allston, MA,” and the University is in Cambridge, the stadium is actually on the south, Boston side of the Charles River. Harvard Street at Soldiers Field Road. Unfortunately, it’s not that close to public transportation: Your best bet is to take the Red Line to Harvard Square, and walk across the Anderson Memorial Bridge.

* Gillette Stadium. The NFL’s New England Patriots and MLS’ New England Revolution have played here since 2002. It was built next-door to the facility known as Schaefer Stadium, Sullivan Stadium and Foxboro Stadium, which was torn down and replaced by the Patriot Place mall.

The Pats played at the old stadium from 1971 to 2001 (their last game, a Playoff in January 2002, being the Snow Bowl or Tuck Game against the Oakland Raiders). It was home to the New England Tea Men of the North American Soccer League and, from 1996 to 2001, of MLS’ Revs. Before the Tea Men, the NASL's Boston Minutemen played there, including Mozambicuan-Portuguese legend Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (like many Portuguese and Brazilian players, usually known by just his first name). Because of this, and because of New England's large Portuguese community, a statue of Eusebio stands at Gillette, possibly puzzling people who don't know soccer and only go for Patriots games. The statue was there at least as far back as 2010, well before his recent death.

The U.S. national soccer team played 10 games at Foxboro Stadium, winning 7. They've now played 10 at Gillette as well, winning 6. BC played a couple of football games at the old stadium in the early 1980s, thanks to the popularity of quarterback Doug Flutie. The old stadium was basically an oversized version of a high school stadium, complete with aluminum benches for fans, and it was terrible. The new stadium is so much better.

It has one problem: The location is awful. It’s just off U.S. Route 1, not a freeway such as I-95, and except for Pats’ gamedays, when an MBTA commuter rail train will take you right there, the only way to get there without a car is to take the MBTA Forge Park-495 Line from South Station to Walpole, and then get a taxi. That’ll cost you $18 each way, as I found out when I went to see the New York Red Bulls play the Revs in June 2010.

60 Washington Street (Route 1) – or “1 Patriot Place,” Foxboro. It’s actually closer to downtown Providence, Rhode Island than to downtown Boston. Adjoining is the Patriot Place mall.

* Suffolk Downs. Opened in 1935, this is New England's premier horse-racing track.  On their last tour, on August 18, 1966, the Beatles played here. However, as horse racing has declined, so has the track, to the point that New England's best known race, the Massachusetts Handicap (or the Mass Cap) hasn't been run since 2008. Previously, it had been won by such legendary horses as Seabiscuit, Whirlaway, Riva Ridge and Cigar.

So, unless you really loved the film Seabiscuit or are a huge Beatlemaniac, I'd say that if you don't have the time to see everything on this list, this is the first item you should cross off. 525 McClellan Highway, at Waldemar Avenue, in the East Boston neighborhood, near Logan Airport. Blue Line to Suffolk Downs station.

* Basketball Hall of Fame. New York and Boston fans can debate which of their cities is "the home of basketball" or "the best basketball city," but the birthplace of basketball cannot be questioned: It is Springfield, Massachusetts, 90 miles west of downtown Boston. Dr. James Naismith invented the sport at the Springfield YMCA on December 21, 1891, because the Y needed an indoor sport for those months when it was too cold to play baseball or football outside.

The Springfield Y became Springfield College, and the "Hoophall," founded in 1959, opened its first building on the SC campus in 1968. It quickly outgrew the facility, and a new one opened on the Connecticut River in 1985. That one, too, was outgrown, and a 3rd one opened adjacent to the 2nd one in 2002.

1000 Hall of Fame Avenue. It might not be a bad idea to see the Nets-Celtics game on Friday night, stay over in Boston, and then on Saturday head west to see the Hoophall before heading south again to go home. Take the Mass Pike/I-90 West to Exit 6, to I-291, then take Exit 1 onto I-91, then take that highway's Exit 6, and the Hoophall will be on your right. If you'd prefer to take a separate trip from New York, it's 138 miles. Follow the directions to Boston: I-95 North to New Haven, then I-91 North, except, in this case, pass Hartford, stay on I-91, and, once in Massachusetts, take Exit 6. Hartford and Springfield are only 25 miles apart.

* Museum of Fine Arts. This is Boston’s equivalent to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’m not saying you have to visit, but you should see one major Boston tourist site that doesn’t involve sports, and it’s a 10-minute walk from Fenway and a 5-minute walk from the sites of the Huntington Avenue and South End Grounds. 465 Huntington Avenue at Parker Street. Green Line E train to Museum of Fine Arts station.

* Freedom Trail. Boston’s most familiar tourist trap is actually several, marked by a red brick sidewalk and red paint on streets. Historic sites include Boston’s old and new City Halls, Massachusetts’ old and new State Houses (old: Built 1711, with the State Street subway station somehow built into it; “new”: 1798), the Old North Church (where Paul Revere saw the two lanterns hung) and the Old South Meeting House (where Samuel Adams started the Boston Tea Party and would be horrified at the right-wing bastards using the “Tea Party” name today), Revere’s house, the Boston Tea Party Ship, the U.S.S. Constitution, and the Bunker Hill Monument.

The Trail starts at Boston Common, at Park and Tremont Streets. Green or Red Line to Park Street.

* Cambridge. Home to Harvard and MIT, it is not so much “Boston’s Brooklyn” (that wouldn’t be Brookline, either, but would be South Boston or “Southie” and neighboring Dorchester) as “Boston’s Greenwich Village,” particularly since Harvard Square was the center of Boston’s alternative music scene in the Fifties and Sixties, where performers like Joan Baez and the aforementioned Kingston Trio became stars. Later, it would be rock acts like Aerosmith and the J. Geils Band that would make their names in Cambridge.

The city is also home to the Longfellow House, home of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. And while Harvard Yard is worth a visit, no, you cannot, as the old saying demonstrating the Boston accent goes, “Pahk yuh cah in Hahvuhd Yahd.” Harvard Yard does not allow motorized vehicles. Centered around Harvard Square at 1400 Massachusetts Avenue. Red Line to Harvard Square.

* John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. Unlike the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, which is a 2-hour drive north of Midtown Manhattan in Hyde Park, closer to Albany, the JFK Library is much more accessible – not just to drivers and non-drivers alike, but to anyone.

Maybe it’s because it’s more interactive, but maybe it’s also because FDR is a figure of black-and-white film and scratchy radio recordings, while JFK is someone whose television images and color films make him more familiar to us, even though he’s been dead for over 50 years now. (Incredibly, he’s now been dead longer than he was alive.)

Sometimes it seems as though his Library is less about his time than it is about our time, and the time beyond. While I love the FDR Library, there’s no doubt in my mind that this is the best Presidential Library or Museum there is. Columbia Point, on the Boston campus of the University of Massachusetts. Red Line to JFK/UMass, plus a free shuttle bus.

Other Massachusetts Presidential sites include the JFK Tour at Harvard, JFK’s birthplace at 83 Beals Street in Brookline (Green Line B train to Babcock Street), those involving John and John Quincy Adams in Quincy (Red Line to Quincy Center – not to “Quincy Adams”), the house at 173 Adams Street in Milton where George H.W. Bush was born (Red Line to Milton, now has a historical marker although the house itself is privately owned and not available for tours), and the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum, in Northampton where he was Mayor before becoming the State’s Governor and then President (20 West Street, 100 miles west of Boston, although Greyhound goes there). Closer than Northampton are sites relating to Franklin Pierce in Concord and Hillsboro, New Hampshire.

Salem, home to the witch trials, is to the north: MBTA Commuter Rail Newburyport/Rockport Line out of North Station to Salem. Plymouth, where the Pilgrims landed and set up the Massachusetts Bay Colony, is to the south: MBTA Kingston/Plymouth Line out of South Station to Kingston, then switch to FreedomLink bus.

Lexington & Concord? Lexington: Red Line north to its terminal at Alewife, then switch to the 62 or 76 bus. Concord: MBTA Fitchburg/South Acton Line out of North Station to Concord. Bunker Hill? 93 bus on Washington Street, downtown, to Bunker Hill & Monument Streets, across the river in the Charlestown neighborhood, then 2 blocks down Monument.

The Bull & Finch Pub, which was used for the exterior shot and the basis for the interior shot of Cheers, was at 84 Beacon Street at Brimmer Street, across from Boston Common and near the State House. It's since been bought and turned into an official Cheers, with the upstairs Hampshire House (the basis for the show's Melville's) also part of the establishment. Green Line to Arlington.  A version designed to look more like the one on the show, complete with an "island bar" instead of a "wall bar," is at Faneuil Hall. Congress & Market Streets. Orange or Blue Line to State, since Government Center is closed for renovations.

The Suffolk County Court House, recognizable from David E. Kelley's legal dramas Ally McBeal, The Practice and Boston Legal, is at the Scollay Square/Government Center complex.  The official address is 3 Pemberton Street, at Somerset Street. Again, use State, due to the closure of Government Center.

The Prudential Tower, a.k.a. the Prudential Center, at 749 feet the tallest building in the world outside New York when it opened in 1964, contains a major mall. 800 Boylston Street. The finish line of the Boston Marathon, and the site of the bombing, is at 755 Boylston at Ring Road. Green Line B, C or D to Copley, or E to Prudential.

There are two John Hancock Buildings in Boston. The older one, at 197 Clarendon Street at St. James Avenue, went up in 1947, and is now better known as the Berkeley Building. It is 495 feet high counting a spire that lights up, and is a weather beacon, complete with poem:

Steady blue, clear view.
Flashing blue, clouds due.
Steady red, rain ahead.
Flashing red, snow instead.

If it's flashing red during baseball season, when snow is not expected (except maybe in April), that means that day's Red Sox game has been postponed. When the Sox won the Series * in 2004, '07 and '13, it flashed red and blue.

The glass-facaded newer building, at 200 Clarendon across from the old one, was completed in 1976 and is 790 feet tall, making it not just the tallest in Boston, in Massachusetts, or in New England, but the tallest in North America east of Manhattan. Green Line to Copley

*

Boston may be, per capita, America's best sports city. Certainly, it's the nuttiest. Games played there, in any of their venues, are not for the faint of heart. But it is a truly great experience to see a game there.

Good luck, and remember: Safety first. Despite Boston's reputation of having several fine medical centers, if given a choice, it's better to be an uninjured coward than a hospitalized tough guy.

The New York Jets visit the Houston Texans next Sunday at 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

Before You Go. Most Americans hear "bayou" and think "Louisiana." But Houston is known as, among other things, the Bayou City. It can get hot, it can get humid, and it gets a lot of rain. Why do you think the world's 1st indoor stadium designed for baseball and football was built there? So while the Texans play in a stadium with a retractable roof, the weather could still be a factor.

The Houston Chronicle is predicting daytime temperatures in the high 60s, and nighttime temperatures in the low 50s, plus clouds, but probably now rain. A light jacket might be a good idea for the evening, but you won't need it for the game.

Houston is in the Central Time Zone, so you’ll be an hour behind New York time. Although Texas is a former Confederate State, you will not need your passport, and you won't need to change your money.

Tickets. The Texans are averaging 71,714 fans per game this season, slightly under their figure for last season, nearly a sellout. Being the NFL's newest team (whether you count moved teams as "new" or not), they don't having much of a tradition. But getting tickets may still be tough.

Seats in the lower level, the 100 sections, are $152 on the sidelines and $99 in the end zone. Seats in the upper level, the 600 sections, are $78 and $49. Every level in between is club seating, and prohibitively expensive.

Getting There. It’s 1,665 miles from Times Square in New York to downtown Houston, and 1,668 miles from MetLife Stadium to NRG Stadium. You’re probably thinking that you should be flying.

The good news: Flying to Houston can be done for as little as $353. Considering how far it is, that is a bargain. The bad news: Your flight won't be nonstop: You'll have to change planes in either Dallas, Chicago or Charlotte to get to Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport. (That's named for the father, not the son.)

There are 2 ways to get there by train. One is to change trains in Chicago, and then change to a bus in Longview, Texas. The other is to change trains twice, in Washington and New Orleans, and then stay overnight in New Orleans. No, I'm not making that up. You don't want that -- and don't be fooled by the fact that Houston's Union Station and the ballpark are next-door to each other, because Amtrak uses a different station a mile away, at 902 Washington Street. Round-trip fare is $544, and that could be more than by flying. Maybe we should just forget Amtrak, and move on.

Greyhound has 8 runs a day from Port Authority Bus Terminal to Houston, averaging 42 hours, and requiring you to change buses in Atlanta and New Orleans. It's $491 round-trip, but it can drop to $392 with advanced purchase -- in other words, flying could be less. The Houston Greyhound station is at 2121 Main Street, a mile from the arena.

If you actually think it’s worth it to drive, get someone to go with you so you’ll have someone to talk to and one of you can drive while the other sleeps. You’ll be taking Interstate 78 across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania to Harrisburg, where you'll pick up Interstate 81 and take that through the narrow panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia, down the Appalachian spine of Virginia and into Tennessee, where you'll pick up Interstate 40, stay on that briefly until you reach Interstate 75, and take that until you reach Interstate 59, which will take you into Georgia briefly and then across Alabama and Mississippi, and into Louisiana, where you take Interstate 12 west outside New Orleans. Take that until you reach Interstate 10. Once in Texas, Exit 770 will get you to downtown Houston.

If you do it right, you should spend about an hour and a half in New Jersey, 3 hours in Pennsylvania, 15 minutes in Maryland, half an hour in West Virginia, 5 and a half hours in Virginia, 3 hours and 45 minutes in Tennessee, half an hour in Georgia, 4 hours in Alabama, 2 hours and 45 minutes in Mississippi, 4 hours and 30 minutes in Louisiana and 2 hours in Texas. Including rest stops, and accounting for traffic, we’re talking about a 40-hour trip.

Even if you’re only going for one game, no matter how you got there, get a hotel and spend a night. You’ll be exhausted otherwise. Trust me, I know: Trains and buses are not good ways to get sleep.

Once In the City. Houston was founded in 1836 as Allen's Landing, and was renamed for Sam Houston, "the Father of Texas." There are 2.2 million people in the city proper, making it the 4th-largest in America, and 6.3 million in the metropolitan area, making it 5th. But with multiple teams, it's only the 10th-largest market in the NBA, and the 7th-largest in MLB and the NFL.

The sales tax in the State of Texas is 6.25 percent, but in the City of Houston it goes up to 8.25 percent. The city doesn't appear to have a "centerpoint," where the address numbers start at 1, but there is a Main Street, running northeast/southwest.

There is a light rail system, called METRORail, but you probably won't need it to get from a downtown hotel to the arena. One zone is $1.25, and the price rises to $4.50 for 4 zones, so a daypass is a better bargain at $3.00.
Going In. In 1965, the Astrodome opened, and was nicknamed "The Eighth Wonder of the World." It sure didn't seem like an exaggeration: The first roofed sports stadium in the world. (Supposedly, the Romans built stadia with canvas roofs, but that's hardly the same thing.) The Astros played there until 1999, and then moved into Enron Field/Minute Maid Park for the 2000 season. The AFL/NFL's Oilers played at the Astrodome from 1968 to 1996, when they moved to Tennessee to become the Titans.

In 2002, the new NFL team, the Houston Texans, began play next-door to the Astrodome, just to the west, at Reliant Stadium, now named NRG Stadium. Like Minute Maid Park, it has a retractable roof. Suddenly, the mostly-vacant Astrodome seemed, as one writer put it, like a relic of a future that never came to be. (This same writer said the same thing of Shea Stadium and, across Roosevelt Avenue, the surviving structures of the 1964 World's Fair.)

Once, the Astrodome was flashy enough to be the site of movies like The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training and Murder at the World Series. (Both were released in 1977. In the latter, the Astros, who had never yet gotten close to a Pennant, played the Series against the Oakland Athletics, who had just gotten fire-sold by owner Charlie Finley.)

The Astrodome also hosted the legendary 1968 college basketball game between Number 1 UCLA (with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, then still Lew Alcindor) and Number 2 University of Houston (whose Elvin Hayes led them to victory, before UCLA got revenge in that year's Final Four), and the cheese-tastic 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, the "Battle of the Sexes."

Elvis Presley sang there on February 27, 1970 and on March 3, 1974. It hosted Selena's last big concert before her murder in 1995, and when Jennifer Lopez starred in the film Selena, it was used for the re-creation. In 2004, the same year NRG (then Reliant) Stadium hosted the Super Bowl (which was won by... Janet Jackson, I think), the Astrodome was used to film a high school football playoff for the film version of Friday Night Lights; the old Astros division title banners can be clearly seen.

Today, though, the Astrodome seems, like the Republican Party that held a ridiculously bigoted Convention there in 1992, stuck in the past. The former Eighth Wonder of the World is now nicknamed the Lonely Landmark, and while it served as a shelter for people displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, since 2008, when it was hit with numerous code violations, only maintenance workers and security guards have been allowed to enter. The stadium's future is not clear: Some officials are worried that demolishing it would damage the new stadium and other nearby structures.

NRG Stadium was built roughly on the site of Colt Stadium, which was the baseball team's home in their first 3 seasons, 1962, '63 and '64, when they were known as the Houston Colt .45's (spelled with the apostrophe), before moving into the dome and changing the name of the team. Astrohall, built in 1971, was torn down in 2002 to make way for parking for the new stadium (which, after all, was built on Astrodome parking).

The climate-controlled Astrodome was necessary because of not just the heat and the humidity, but because of the mosquitoes. Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers said, "Some of those mosquitoes are twin-engine jobs."

Later, seeing the artificial turf that was laid in the Astrodome for 1966 after the grass died in the first season, due to the skylights in the dome having to be painted due to the players losing the ball in the sun, Koufax said, "I was one of those guys who pitched without a cup. I wouldn't do it on this stuff. And Dick Allen of the Philadelphia Phillies, looking at the first artificial field in baseball history, said, "If a horse can't eat it, I don't want to play on it."

The Astrodome hosted a 1988 match between the national soccer teams of the U.S. and Ecuador, which Ecuador won. NRG Stadium has hosted 2 such matches, a 2008 draw with Mexico and a 2011 win over Panama. The Mexico team has made it a home-away-from-home, playing 10 matches there between 2003 and 2013. The stadium hosted the 2010 MLS All-Star Game, in which a team of MLS players lost to Manchester United.

NRG Stadium hosts the annual Texas Bowl, which more or less replaced the Bluebonnet Bowl, formerly an Astrodome fixture. It hosted the Final Four in 2011, will host it again in 2016, and will host Super Bowl LI in 2017.

The NRG complex, including the Astrodome, is at 8400 Kirby Drive at Reliant Parkway, although the stadium's official address is One Reliant Park. Reliant Park station on METRORail.

Since the Astrodome is to the east of NRG Stadium, that's the side of the stadium on which you are least likely to enter. If you come in from METRORail, you will have a half-mile walk west on Reliant Parkway, and you will most likely enter from the north gate. And I recommend METRORail, because parking is a whopping $33. Tailgating is permitted, within the rules as spelled out on the Texans' website.
The field is is artificial, despite the retractable roof, and is laid out north-to-south, like most football fields, even though closing the roof makes this due-to-the-sun setup unnecessary.

Unfortunately, a major feature of NRG Stadium concessions is Papa John's Pizza. I understand Texas not caring that Papa John is a bastard to his employees, but they should at least care enough not to promote Peyton Manning, an AFC South Division rival quarterback!

They also have several stands each for Quizno Subs, Menchie's Frozen Yogurt, 5 Star Dogs (hot dogs), and a few other chains whose logos I can't quite make out on their map.

Team History Displays. The Texans were founded in 2002. Barring a move in the next few years, they will remain, by any way you measure it, the NFL's newest team. So there isn't much history to display: A pair of AFC South title banners, and no players even remotely good enough to get their uniform numbers retired or be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- not even a washed-up star returning home to close out his career.
Stuff. The Go Texans Store is in the southeastern corner of the stadium. The usual NFL fan gear can be found there. Since this is Texas, you might find cowboy hats, boots or belt buckles with the Texans logo on them.

As the NFL's newest team, books about the Texans are few and far between. Museum of Fine Harts Houston curator Anne Wilkes Tucker and legendary Houston sportswriter (first for the defunct Houston Post, now for the Chronicle) Mickey Herskowitz collaborated on First Down, Houston: The Birth of an NFL Franchise in 2002 and '03. Other than that, probably the best you can get is The Story of the Houston Texans by Gordon Pueschner, which came out in time for the 2009 season, thus missing the closest thing the Texans have yet had to "glory days."

As far team videos, you're out of luck: No Super Bowl win means no commemorative highlight video of either the game or the season; and, being a franchise whose last anniversary was their 10th, and whose greatest moment to date is a pair of wins in the Wild Card round of the Playoffs, an anniversary DVD would, for the moment, be a bit silly.

During the Game. If you were wearing Dallas Cowboy gear to a Houston Texans game, you might be in trouble. But Rockets fans aren't especially hostile to New Yorkers, so safety won't be an issue.

The Texans' mascot is Toro the Bull. The Texans hold auditions instead of having a regular National Anthem singer. Their pregame introduction song is "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. Their theme song is "It's Football Time In Houston" by country-signing native Clay Walker, their fight song is "Battle Red," their defense's theme song is "Bulls On Parade" by Rage Against the Machine (I'll bet that leftist band goes over really well in rural Texas), and an unofficial rap song titled "Houston" was recorded by locals Slim Thug, Paul Wall and ZRo, getting over 1 million YouTube views. But the team does not appear to have a postgame victory song.
The north end zone is the home of the Bull Pen, an attempt to mimic student sections at college football games. (I'd suggest soccer "ultras," but, in spite of back-to-back MLS Cups by the Dynamo, Houstonians might not get the reference.) They shout their players' last names during team introductions, shout, "Houston... Texans!" after each first down, and even have their own Pep Band. I guess, when (to borrow a saying from English soccer) "You ain't got no history," you come up with your own traditions.

After the Game. Houston is a comparatively low-crime city, and as long as you behave yourself, the home fans will probably behave themselves, win or lose.

There's a Starbucks at NRG Center, the convention center, to the northeast of the stadium. Other than that, the closest restaurants are a Denny's at Main Street and South Loop West Freeway (the service road for Houston's beltway, Interstate 610), and, where Old Spanish Trail splits from Main Street, an Olive Garden, a Chipotle and a Sonic.

Lucky's Pub appears to be the go-to bar for New Yorkers living in the Houston area. It is at 801 St. Emanuel Street at Rusk Street, a 12-minute walk from the United Center, adjacent to BBVA Compass Stadium, the new home of MLS' Houston Dynamo.

Sidelights. Houston's sports history is pretty much wrapped up in the decaying corpse of the Astrodome, whose history I've already discussed. But there are other sites worth mentioning.

* Minute Maid Park. The new home of the Astros opened in 2000, at 501 Crawford Street, attached to Union Station. The Astros were able to play on God's own grass for the 1st time since 1965, and under God's own sky for the 1st time since 1964. They have now reached the postseason there 4 times: The 2001 National League Division Series, the 2004 NL Championship Series, the 2005 World Series, and the 2015 American League Division Series. Preston Station on METRORail.

* Site of Sam Houston Coliseum. The Houston Aeros, with Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty, won the World Hockey Association championships of 1974 and 1975, while playing here, before moving into the Summit in 1975 and folding in 1978. The Beatles played there on August 19, 1965. It was built in 1937 and demolished in 1998. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is now on the site. 801 Bagby Street, at Rusk Street, downtown.

* TDECU Stadium and site of Jeppesen/Robertson Stadium. The Houston Oilers played at Jeppesen Stadium from 1960 to 1964. They won the 1960 AFL Championship Game there, won the 1961 title game on the road, and lost the 1962 title game there -- and, as the Oilers and the Tennessee Titans, haven't gone as far as the rules allowed them to since 1961.

Built in 1942, it became Robertson Stadium, and was the former home of the University of Houston football team and the former home of MLS' Houston Dynamo, who won the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cups while playing there. The new John O'Quinn Field at TDECU Stadium (named for Texas Dow Employees Credit Union) has been built at the site. 3874 Holman Street at Cullen Blvd. Number 52 bus.

* BBVA Compass Stadium. The new home of the Dynamo opened in 2012 at 2200 Texas Avenue at Dowling Street, within walking distance of downtown. It is also the home field of the football team at Texas Southern University. On January 29, 2013, it hosted its first U.S. national team match, a draw with Canada.

* Rice Stadium. Home of Rice University football since 1950, the Oilers played the 1965, '66 and '67 seasons here. Although probably already obsolete by the 1973 season, it seated a lot more people than did the Astrodome, and so Super Bowl VIII was played there, and the Miami Dolphins won it -- and haven't won a Super Bowl since.

It has been significantly renovated, and now seats 47,000, down from the 71,882 that crammed in for the Super Bowl on January 13, 1974. University Blvd. at Greenbriar Street, although the mailing address is 6100 S. Main Street. METRORail to Dryden/TMC, then walk or Number 084 bus.

* Site of Buffalo Stadium. Before there were the Astros, or even the Colt .45's, there were the Houston Buffaloes. The Buffs played at Buffalo Stadium, a.k.a. Buff Stadium, for most of their history, from 1928 to 1961, when the Colt .45's made them obsolete.

They were a farm team of the St. Louis Cardinals, and as a result in its last years Buff Stadium was renamed Busch Stadium. The Cardinal teams of the 1930s that would be known as the "Gashouse Gang" came together in Houston, with Dizzy and Daffy Dean, Joe Medwick, Pepper Martin and Enos Slaughter. Later Buff stars included Cleveland Indians 3rd baseman Al Rosen, Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Wilmer "Vinegar Bend" Mizell, Negro League legend Willard Brown, Cardinal MVP Ken Boyer, and Phillies shortstop Ruben Amaro Sr.

Wanting to lure in more customers but also to beat the infamous Houston heat, lights were installed in 1930, 5 years before any major league park had them. The Buffs won 8 Texas League Pennants: 1928, 1931, 1940, 1947, 1951, 1954, 1956 and 1957. The stadium was at the southwest corner of Leeland Street & Cullen Blvd., about 2 1/2 miles southeast of downtown. A furniture store is on the site now. Number 20 bus.

* Toyota Center. The new home of the NBA's Rockets replaced the Summit. It took 8 years from Rockets owner Les Alexander's demand for a new arena until first tipoff, in which time NBA Commissioner David Stern announced that the Rockets would have to move without a new arena (not that there was anything wrong with the Summit, aside from a low number of luxury boxes), and NHL Comissioner Gary Bettman announced that Houston would not get an NHL team. But tip off the Rockets did, on October 30, 2003.
It's hosted the Rockets ever since, the WNBA's Houston Comets from 2003 until they folded after the 2007 season, and the Houston Aeros of the American Hockey League (not the old WHA team of the same name) from 2003 until 2013, when their parent club, the Minnesota Wild, moved them to Des Moines, where they became the Iowa Wild. It's also hosted wrestling, Ultimate Fighting, concerts (including by Houston native Beyonce, both with and without the rest of Destiny's Child) and the Latin Grammys.

1510 Polk Street, also bounded by Jackson, Bell and La Branch Streets. It's downtown, 5 blocks east of Main Street and the light rail, with Bell Street the closest station.

* Summit. Before the Toyota Center, the Rockets played at The Summit, later known as the Compaq Center, from 1975 to 2003. It's been converted into the Lakewood Church Central Campus, a megachurch presided over by Dr. Joel Osteen. 3700 Southwest Freeway at Timmons Lane. Number 53 bus.

Before that, between their 1971 move from San Diego and the 1975 opening of The Summit, they played some home games at the Astrodome, some at the Astrohall, some at the Sam Houston Coliseum, and some at the Hofheinz Pavilion.

There's another notable sports site in Houston: The U.S. Military Entry Processing Station, in the Customs House, where Muhammad Ali, then living and training in Houston, had to report to fulfill his draft obligation. He did report there, on April 28, 1967, and refused to be drafted. (To be fair, they did call his birth name, Cassius Clay, not his legal name, Muhammad Ali.) Ali was convicted of draft evasion and stripped of the Heavyweight Title. He stayed out of prison on appeal, and case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which overturned the conviction.

The Customs House is still standing, and still used in part by the U.S. Department of Defense. 701 San Jacinto Street. Central Station on METRORail.

The tallest building in Houston, and in Texas, is the JPMorgan Chase Tower, formerly the Texas Commerce Tower. It was built in 1982 at 600 Travis Street at Texas Avenue, downtown, and stands 1,002 feet tall, rising 75 stories above the concrete over the bayou.

Houston's version of New York's American Museum of Natural History is the Houston Museum of Natural Science, in Hermann Park, at Main Street and Hermann Park Drive. The Sam Houston Monument is a few steps away. The Houston Museum of Fine Arts is at 1001 Bissonnet Street, just 5 blocks away. Both can be reached by the Number 700 bus.

Of course, the name "Houston" is most connected with two things: Its namesake, the legendary Senator, Governor and war hero Sam Houston; and the Johnson Space Center, the NASA control center named after President Lyndon B. Johnson, who, as Senate Majority Leader, wrote the bill creating NASA and the Space Center, because he thought it would bring a lot of jobs and money to Houston (and he was right).

Aside from his Monument, most historic sites relating to Sam are not in the city that bears his name. As for reaching the Johnson Space Center, it's at 1601 NASA Parkway and Saturn Lane. The Number 249 bus goes there, so if you don't have a car, Houston, you won't have a problem.

Although Houston is the post-Presidential home for George H.W. and Barbara Bush, his Presidential Library is at Texas A&M University, 100 miles away in College Station.

There have been a few TV shows set in Houston, but the only one that lasted was Reba, starring country singer Reba McIntire. But it was filmed in Los Angeles, so if you're a fan, you won't find the house in Houston. Films set in Houston, in addition to the sports-themed ones, include Brewster McCloud (which also used the Astrodome), Logan's Run (which used the Houston Hyatt Regency for some scenes), Telefon (set there but filmed in California), Terms of Endearment, Reality Bites, and, perhaps most iconically, Urban Cowboy.

*

Houston can be hot, but it's a good sports town, and, best of all, it's not Dallas. So there can be a good old time in the hot town tonight.

This Friday, the New Jersey Devils play away to the Edmonton Oilers. Last season, I didn't even get the Trip Guide finished before the game in question ended. For shame. This time, I've gotten it done with a little time to spare.

Although they've reached the Stanley Cup Finals just once since 1990, the Oilers will forever be remembered in the New York Tri-State Area for being 3 things:

1. The team from whom several members of the New York Rangers' 1994 Cup team came.
2. The team that ended the New York Islanders' dynasty in 1984.
3. The team that Wayne Gretzky took into the Meadowlands early in the 1983-84 season, the Devils' 2nd season, and pounded us 13-4, and Gretzky then called us "a Mickey Mouse operation." (This, from a guy who hadn't won a Stanley Cup yet. True, he then won 4 in 5 years, but since 1988, as player, coach and owner, the total is Devils 3, Gretzky 0.)

Today, the Devils are doing well, considering they're in their 1st season under a new head coach and a new general manager; while the Oilers are tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for worst record in the NHL, having just 12 of a possible 36 points thus far. The Devils should take every opponent seriously, but it's the Oilers who are now looking cartoonish.

Before You Go. At 53 degrees, 34 minutes North latitude, Edmonton has the northernmost major league sports venue in North America's 4 major sports leagues. And this is late November. It will be cold. The Edmonton Sun is predicting that temperatures will be in the low 30s by day and the low 20s by night. Bundle up.

This is Canada, so you will need your passport. You will need to change your money. At this writing, C$1.00 = US 75 cents, and US$1.00 = C$1.34. And I advise you to call your bank and let them know that you will be in a foreign country, so they won't see credit or debit card purchases from a foreign country pop up and think your card has been stolen.

Also, remember that they use the metric system. A speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour means 62 miles an hour. And don't be fooled by the seemingly low gas prices: That's per liter, not per gallon, and, in spite of Canada being a major oil-producing nation, you'll actually be paying more for gas up there. So, in order to avoid both confusion and "sticker-shock," get your car filled up before you reach the border.

Edmonton is in the Mountain Time Zone, so they are 2 hours behind New York and New Jersey. Adjust your timepieces accordingly.

Tickets. The Oilers averaged 16,839 fans per home game last season, just short of a sellout. As you might expect from not just a Canadian city, but perhaps the most hockey-mad city west of Toronto (and, yes, I'm including Detroit, America's "Hockeytown"). This is the hometown of Mark Messier and Ken Daneyko.

Oilers tickets are expensive. Seats in the lower level, the 100 sections, are $358 between the goals and $223 behind them. In the upper level, the 200 sections, they're $205 and $115. One side of the rink has another level above that, the 300 sections, where tickets are $72. And since that comes from ticketmaster.ca, that's probably in Canadian dollars, so they're probably a little less expensive to us than that.

Getting There. It's 2,409 miles from the Prudential Center in Newark to Rexall Place in Edmonton. Naturally, your first thought would be to fly. So flying is easily the best way to get there. You can fly Air Canada from Newark to Edmonton and back, changing planes in Toronto, for $1,373.

That's pretty expensive, but it's better than any other way of getting there. Taking Greyhound takes 63 hours, and you have to transfer in Buffalo, Toronto and Winnipeg:

Leave New York 10:45 PM Tuesday
Arrive Buffalo 6:30 AM Wednesday (15 minute layover, change buses)
Leave Buffalo 6:45 AM Wednesday
Arrive Toronto 10:00 AM Wednesday (3 hour, 30 minute layover, change buses)
Leave Toronto 1:30 PM Wednesday
Arrive Winnipeg 7:45 PM Thursday (45 minute layover, change buses)
Leave Winnipeg 8:30 PM Thursday
Arrive Edmonton 3:10 PM Friday
Game in Edmonton 7:00 PM Friday
Game ends around 9:30 PM Friday (3 hours, 15 minutes to catch bus)
Leave Edmonton 12:45 AM Saturday
Arrive Winnipeg 9:55 PM Saturday (20 minute layover, change buses)
Leave Winnipeg 10:15 PM Saturday
Arrive Toronto 5:10 PM Sunday (20 minute layover, change buses)
Arrive Buffalo 8:50 PM Sunday (45 minute layover, change buses)
Leave Buffalo 9:35 PM Sunday 
Arrive New York 5:25 AM Monday

New York to Toronto can be as little as $98 round-trip with advanced purchase, but Toronto to Edmonton will be US$455, for a total of $553. The Greyhound station is at 10324 103rd Street NW at 104th Avenue.

The Edmonton station for VIA Rail Canada is at 12360 121st Street NW, and this would be your schedule:

Leave New York 7:15 AM Tuesday
Arrive Toronto 7:42 PM Tuesday (2 hour, 18 minute layover, change trains)
Leave Toronto 10:00 PM Tuesday
Arrive Edmonton 6:22 AM Friday
Game in Edmonton 7:00 PM Friday
Game ends around 9:30 PM Friday(2 hours to make train)
Leave Edmonton 11:59 PM Friday
Arrive Toronto 9:30 AM Monday (22 hour, 50 minute layover, requiring a hotel stay, change trains)
Leave Toronto 8:20 AM Tuesday
Arrive New York 9:45 PM Tuesday

NY-TOR US$248.00
TOR-EDM C$760.49, or US$570.37

So the total fare would be $819. For a trip lasting 7 1/2 days. No, the train is no good.

Just outside Chicago, I-80 will split off from I-90, which you will keep, until it merges with Interstate 94. For the moment, though, you will ignore I-94. Stay on I-90 through Illinois, until reaching Madison, Wisconsin, where you will once again merge with I-94. Now, I-94 is what you want, taking it into Minnesota and the Twin Cities.

However, unless you want to make a rest stop actually in Minneapolis or St. Paul, you're going to bypass them entirely. Take Exit 249 to get on Interstate 694, the Twin Cities' beltway, until you merge with Interstate 494 to reform I-94. Crossing Minnesota into North Dakota, you'll take Exit 256 to U.S. Route 52 West, and take that up to the Canadian border.

Presuming you don't do anything stupid that makes Customs officials keep you out of Canada, U.S. 52 will continue as Saskatchewan Provincial Route 39. At Weyburn, you'll turn right on Provincial Route 35. At Francis, you'll turn left on Provincial Route 33. At the Provincial Capital of Regina, you'll take the Trans-Canada Highway, which you'll take to Provincial Route 11. Stay on that after it becomes Provincial Route 16. At Saskatoon, follow the signs to stay on Route 16, and take that into Alberta, where it will remain Provincial Route 16. Take Exit 392 onto Wayne Gretzky Drive. From there, it's a mile to the arena.

If you do it right, you should spend about an hour and a half in New Jersey, 5 hours and 15 minutes in Pennsylvania, 4 hours in Ohio, 2 and a half hours in Indiana, an hour and a half in Illinois, 2 and a half hours in Wisconsin, 4 and a half hours in Minnesota, 6 hours in North Dakota, 13 and a half hours in Saskatchewan (believe it, it's over 800 miles), and 4 hours in Alberta. That's 45 hours and 15 minutes. Throw in rest stops, and we're talking closer to 62 hours -- 2 and a half days. You'd have to really love both driving and hockey, and not mind cold weather, to do that.

Once In the City. Located on the Saskatchewan River, Fort Edmonton, a fur-trading post, was founded in 1795, but not incorporated until 1892, making it the youngest city in all of North American major league sports. (The youngest of the U.S. cities with at least 2 teams is Phoenix, founded in 1881.)

Named for a village in England's historic county of Middlesex (now a part of North London), the name meaning Eadhelm's Town, Alberta's capital and 2nd-largest city has over 810,000 people, but adding the suburbs only makes it 1.1 million -- a familiar pattern in Canada, except for its 3 biggest cities of Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Edmonton has East-West numbered Avenues and North-South numbered Streets -- the exact opposite of Manhattan. Anthony Henday Drive (named for an English explorer of Western Canada, effectively Canada's "Lewis & Clark") divides the city into North and South. But while there are streets with NW and SW suffixes, there's no NE and SE. And the Alberta Legislature Building, roughly the focal point of the city, is at 97th Avenue NW and 107th Street NW. Go figure. That's like if New York City had the same street grid, but City Hall were at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne, New Jersey. (A town named after American Revolution hero General Anthony Wayne, not Wayne Gretzky.)

The sales tax in the Province of Alberta is 5 percent, and it doesn't go up in the City of Edmonton. The city has buses and light rail, and a single fare is $3.20 (which works out to about $2.40, so it's cheaper than New York's).
Going In. Built in 1975 as the Northlands Coliseum, and known in between as the Edmonton Coliseum and the Skyreach Centre, Rexall Place is, like Commonwealth Stadium, northeast of downtown. The 501 light rail goes from Grandin Station to Coliseum Station, and takes 17 minutes. The address is 7424 118th Avenue at 73rd Street NW. Edmonton EXPO Center at Northlands is across 118th Avenue. If you drove in, parking is C$15.
The Blue Mile or the Copper Kilometre is the name given by the local media to the Old Strathcona District's Whyte Avenue during the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoff run, since it closely resembled the events which took place on the Red Mile of arch-rival Calgary 2 years earlier. Following the Oilers' upset victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the 1st round, several thousand Oiler fans flocked to Whyte Avenue and turned the district into a hockey party strip, walking the streets cheering, chanting, high-fiving, horn-honking, and flag-waving for their team. Others surfed the crowd in a grocery-shopping cart, and still others climbed trees and traffic lights.

The rink is laid out east-to-west. The Oilers attack twice toward the east end. It's the only NHL arena with the player benches on the same side as the TV cameras. In all other NHL venues, the TV cameras are on the same side as the scorekeepers table and penalty boxes.

It's also been home to the minor-league Edmonton Oil Kings, indoor soccer's Edmonton Drillers, concerts, pro wrestling, and events of the 1978 Commonwealth Games. (The Games are a mini-Olympics for nations in the British Commonwealth, including Canada. Previously known as the Empire Games, Vancouver's old Empire Stadium was built for them.)

Now the 2nd-oldest arena in the NHL, trailing only Madison Square Garden, it will be replaced next season by Rogers Place.
Food. In 2010, Rexall Place -- kind of ironic for a place named after a drugstore chain -- was cited for multiple health code violations, making it the unhealthiest sports venue in Canada, and possibly in all of North America. (I guess the inspectors have never had the hot dogs at RFK Stadium.)

So, if you dare, the arena website makes these suggestions:

Rexall Place food finders are located at our guest services and food services locations. Concession items include:

• Chili dog/classic dog
• Steak burger/ Bacon cheese burger
• Chicken tenders
• BBQ Pork sandwich
• Boston Pizza
• Perogies
• Popcorn/pretzels/nachos
• Fries/onion rings

Additional outlets include: Starbucks- located between NE and NW doors on the main concourse Chef’s corner- located on level 4 North behind section 214 Availability of concessions and outlets varies per event. Cash or credit cards are accepted at all concession stands.

Team History Displays. The Oilers have won 5 Stanley Cups, and reached the Stanley Cup Finals 7 times, winning in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990, and losing in 1983 and 2006. They've won the President's Trophy for best overall record in the regular season in 1984, 1986 and 1987, and 9 Division Championships: 1979 (the last season of the WHA), 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991 and 1992.

The Cup win banners are white with black lettering, the Conference and Division title banners are orange with blue lettering, and the President's Trophy banners are blue with white lettering. The banners are arranged in chronological order, not by type and then by chronology. This makes for a weird color pattern, but it's 24 banners, which is a lot, considering they didn't win their 1st until 1979.
The Oilers have 8 retired number banners at the opposite end. They are arranged as follows: 3, WHA-era defenseman Al Hamilton; 99, center Wayne Gretzky; 17, right wing Jari Kurri; 31, goaltender Grant Fuhr; 7, defenseman Paul Coffey; 11, left wing Mark Messier; 9, right wing Glenn Anderson; and 3,542, for the number of games broadcast by Rod Phillips from 1973 until his retirement in 2011.
On December 11, against the Rangers, for whom he recently stepped down as general manager but remains team president, Glen Sather, general manager for all 5 Cups and head coach for the 1st 4 (John Muckler was head coach for 1990), will be honored with a banner by the Oilers. He was a defenseman for the Oilers in their WHA days and wore Number 6. It is but it has not been retired.

The Oilers may be waiting for defenseman Kevin Lowe to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame before they retire his Number 4. If Lowe is elected and his number retired, it will not change the fact that Hamilton, an original 1972-73 Alberta Oiler (the name was changed to reflect the city instead of the Province after the 1st season), is the only one of their retired number honorees that was not involved with a Cup winner, and the only one not yet elected to the Hall.

A statue of Gretzky holding up the Stanley Cup is outside the arena. Presumably, it will be moved to the new arena. The highway to the east of the arena, Fort Road outside of the arena's vicinity, is Wayne Gretzky Drive.
Stuff. Again, from the arena website:

Rexall Place has many points of sale at which you may purchase merchandise at an event. For Edmonton Oilers games you may visit any of the Oilers Store locations- NW concourse level 3, SW concourse level 3, Level 4 south, Level 4 north and in the River Cree Club (west). For concerts or other events, please see guest services locations for the listing of merchandise locations for that event.

You would think that, having had "the greatest player in hockey history" (he wasn't: Both Gordie Howe and Bobby Orr were greater than Gretzky), there'd be a lot of books about the Oilers, especially in their glory years. Not really. No wonder Number 99 left for Hollywood: It was all about him, not the great team around him that, lest we forget, won a Cup without him in 1990 (although not since). K. Michael Gaschnitz published the not-particularly-imaginatively-titled The Edmonton Oilers in 2003.

There is a 10 Greatest Games DVD collection for the Oilers. It contains the 1984, 1985 and 1987 Stanley Cup clinchers, the 1981 game in which Gretzky reached 50 goals in only 39 games, the 1984 Finals Game 1 win that signaled the end of the Islander Dynasty, Gretzky's shorthanded overtime goal in overtime in Game 2 of the 1988 Finals, the overtime win in Game 1 of the 1990 Finals, the 1991 Game 7 Playoff win over the hated Flames, a 1997 Playoff Game 7 overtime winner over Dallas, and the franchise's last Stanley Cup Finals in, the overtime Game 5 over Carolina in 2006.

During the Game. If you were wearing a Calgary Flames jersey, you might have a problem. Maybe a Vancouver Canucks or Toronto Maple Leafs jersey. Other than that, I don't think Edmonton fans will bother you. You should be safe.

Mark Lewis has been the public-address announcer since 1981. I don't know if that makes him the longest-serving in the NHL, although with the death of Budd Lynch in Detroit, it might. He is certainly one of the most admired in the game. He, his wife, and 2 business partners own an Edmonton restaurant, Café de Ville. Also starting in 1981 was Paul Lorieau, an optician by trade, who sang the National Anthems at Oilers games. However, he retired in 2011 due to a battle with cancer, and died 2 years later. Now, they hold auditions rather than have a regular anthem singer.

The Oilers' goal song is "Don't Stop the Party" by Pitbull. You can't get much more of a shift in climate, at least not in North America, from Pitbull's Miami to the Oilers' Edmonton. Oilers fans don't have much in the way of chants, sticking with the easy "Let's go, Oilers!" No, they do not add, "Flames suck, Canucks swallow!" Don't give them any ideas.

Until 2010, none of the NHL's Canadian-based teams had cheerleaders/dancers/Ice Girls. That changed when the Edmonton franchise added a group called Oilers Octane. There are 19 of them, and the reaction to them has been mixed: Some fans like them, some hate the very concept and take it out on them. The Oilers do not have a mascot.

After the Game. As long as you don't go out of your way to praise the Flames, you'll be safe on your way out. Edmontonians are good hockey fans, and not goons.

Just to the east of the arena, on Wayne Gretzky Drive, are the Coliseum Inn and the Flow Lounge & Grill. Other than that, unless the Edmonton EXPO Center across 118th Avenue is still open, there's not much around the arena, so your best bet may be to head back downtown.

Sidelights. If Americans know one thing about Edmonton, it's Gretzky. If they know another, it's the world's largest mall. Except it isn't the world's largest anymore. Here are some things you should know about Edmonton, especially if you're a sports fan:

* Site of Edmonton Gardens. Edmonton's 1st arena was across 118th Avenue from the Northlands Coliseum/Rexall Place, in what's now a parking lot for the Edmonton EXPO Center. It opened in 1913 and was demolished in 1982. It was home to a succession of minor league teams, including the Edmonton Oil Kings, who became and remain a farm club of the Oilers, who played their 1st 2 seasons there, 1972-74.

Despite years of complaints that it was outdated and "a disaster waiting to happen," two attempts to demolish the Coliseum by dynamite failed, and they had to use a wrecking ball. They knew how to build buildings in those days, especially sports venues. (The man who ran Detroit's Olympia Stadium in the Red Wings' last few years there said that he'd want to be inside it if The Bomb dropped.)

* Rogers Place. The Oilers are scheduled to move into a new arena, currently under construction, for the 2016-17 season. Unfazed by the fact that the Toronto Blue Jays already play in the Rogers Centre (formerly the SkyDome), and the fact that one of their big rivals, the Vancouver Canucks, already play in the Rogers Arena (formerly General Motors Place), the Oilers are calling it Rogers Place. (This will tie Rogers Sportsnet with AT&T for the most North American sports buildings with naming rights: 3.)

It will be downtown, along 104th Avenue at 103rd Street, across from the Greyhound station. A light rail station is being built to service it. So it will be much more convenient than the current arena, beyond simply being newer and more comfortable.

* Commonwealth Stadium. Not to be confused with the football stadium of the same name at the University of Kentucky, this stadium was built to host the 1978 Commonwealth Games. Having once had a capacity of over 60,000, it's now at 56,302.

The Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos have played here since it opened, and have won 9 Grey Cups, the CFL's Super Bowl, since moving in: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003 and 2005. Yes, they won 5 straight titles, the only time it's happened in Canadian football, led by quarterback Warren Moon. Yes, that Warren Moon. It's "the Pro Football Hall of Fame," not "the National Football League Hall of Fame."

The Grey Cup has been played there 4 times: In 1984, 1997, 2002 and 2010. Like the Super Bowl, its site is chosen in advance, in the hope of getting a neutral site; but, with the CFL having only 9 teams, the chance of a host team playing in it is a lot higher than in the Super Bowl.

The Eskimos have hosted it, in 2002, but lost to Montreal. Edmonton also hosted Montreal in a 2003 hockey doubleheader at Commonwealth Stadium, starting the NHL's "new tradition" of outdoor games, preceded by an old-timers' game between the 1980s Oilers and the 1970s Canadiens -- 11 Stanley Cups between them. The Oilers won the old-timers' game, but the Canadiens won the regular game, best remembered for Montreal goalie Jose Theodore wearing a "toque," or a ski cap, with a Canadiens logo, over his regulation helmet. (Apparently, he checked with the NHL office, and was allowed to wear it during a game. The NHL appears to have less of a fetish for uniform restrictions than the NFL.)

The Edmonton Drillers of the old North American Soccer League played there, and FC Edmonton now uses it for games that exceed the capacity of Clarke Stadium. It was also one of the venues for Canada's hosting of the 2015 Women's World Cup. 11000 Stadium Road, at 112th Avenue. Stadium station on the light rail.

* Clarke Stadium. Built in 1938, this was the first home of the Eskimos, from 1946 to 1977. They won 4 Grey Cups here: 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1975. So they won the 1st 3 Grey Cups after the CFL was founded, and the 1st 5 after they moved next-door into Commonwealth Stadium. (Maybe they should move again, so they can win again.)

The original stadium was demolished, and a much smaller stadium, with 6,000 seats, was built on the site. FC Edmonton of the new North American Soccer League uses it for most home games, but would likely have to use Commonwealth if they want to think about moving up to Major League Soccer.

* Telus Field. This 10,000-seat ballpark, named for Canada's largest phone company, opened in 1995, for the Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League. However, it has been without a permanent tenant since the close of the 2011 season. 10233 96th Avenue at Rossdale Road, at the southern edge of downtown, east of the Legislature. Number 9 bus.

* Old Strathcona. Once the commercial core of the separate city of Strathcona, the area is now Edmonton's main arts and entertainment district, as well as a local shopping hub for local residents and students at the nearby University of Alberta. Many of the area's businesses are owner-operated, but chains have also made inroads in the neighborhood. A good proportion of Edmonton's theaters and live-performance venues are also located in the area. The district centres on Whyte Avenue, formerly 82nd Avenue.

* Royal Alberta Museum. Just as the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) is Eastern Canada's most important museum, so is the Royal Alberta Museum (RAM) the most important in Western Canada. Its natural history exhibits make it an analogue to New York's American Museum of Natural History. 12845 102nd Avenue NW at Wellington Crescent. Bus 1 or 5.

* Muttart Conservatory. This botanical garden is noted for its pyramid-shaped greenhouses. 9626 96A Street NW at 96th Avenue. Number 2 or 5 bus to 96th Street and Jasper Avenue, then walk across the North Saskatchewan River. Or it can be reached on foot, taking the Connors Road bridge over the river; between the bus and hoofing it, walking all the way would take about the same amount of time.

* West Edmonton Mall. From 1981 until 2004, this was the largest shopping mall in the world. It's still the largest in North America, ahead of even the Mall of America outside Minneapolis. It includes theme parks Galaxyland, World Waterpark, Sea Lions Park and an NHL-sized rink called the Ice Palace. The Oilers previously used it as a practice facility. 8882 170th Street NW. Number 2 bus.

Edmonton is not big on skyscrapers: The 15 tallest buildings in Alberta are all in Calgary. The tallest building in Edmonton is the EPCOR Tower, at 10423 101st Street NW at 103rd Avenue, and it isn't even 500 feet tall (490).

Edmonton has never produced a Prime Minister. The Province of Alberta has, 3 of them. But 2, R.B. Bennett in the 1930s and the recently defeated Stephen Harper, represented ridings in Calgary, and Joe Clark was from Yellowhead, in the western part of the Province. So there's no historic site relating to any of them anywhere near Edmonton.

There have been a few movies with scenes shot in Edmonton, including the Ginger Snaps films and Good Luck Chuck. I didn't say they were good movies... (The latter starred Dane Cook, and even Jessica Alba couldn't save it.) And any TV shows set there would be shown on Canadian TV only, and would be unfamiliar to U.S. audiences.

*

Edmonton has hockey, a big mall, and the Royal Alberta Museum. That's about it. But you might have a good time there anyway.

This Sunday night, the New Jersey Devils will conclude their Western Canada roadtrip, playing the Vancouver Canucks, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Before You Go. At 49 degrees, 16 minutes North latitude, Rogers Arena is further north than any U.S. major league sports venue. (Seattle's CenturyLink Field is the northernmost, at 47 degrees, 35 minutes.) And this is late November. It will be cold. And, like the American Northwest cities of Seattle and Portland, it rains. A lot. The city has been nicknamed "Raincouver." The Vancouver Sun is predicting that temperatures will be in the mid-40s by day and the low 30s by night. They're also predicting rain. Swell. Well, bundle up.

This is Canada, so you will need your passport. You will need to change your money. At this writing, C$1.00 = US 75 cents, and US$1.00 = C$1.34. And I advise you to call your bank and let them know that you will be in a foreign country, so they won't see credit or debit card purchases from a foreign country pop up and think your card has been stolen.

Also, remember that they use the metric system. A speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour means 62 miles an hour. And don't be fooled by the seemingly low gas prices: That's per liter, not per gallon, and, in spite of Canada being a major oil-producing nation, you'll actually be paying more for gas up there. So, in order to avoid both confusion and "sticker-shock," get your car filled up before you reach the border.

Vancouver is in the Pacific Time Zone, so they are 3 hours behind New York and New Jersey. Adjust your timepieces accordingly.

Tickets. The Canucks averaged 18,710 fans per home game last season, about 99 percent of capacity. Getting tickets will be tough.

Remember, these prices are in Canadian dollars. Seats in the lower level, the 100 sections, are $154 between the goals and $103 behind them. The 200 sections are club seats, and available only to season ticketholders. Seats in the upper level, the 300 sections, are $103 between the goals and $44 behind them.

Getting There. It's 2,984 miles from the Prudential Center in Newark to the Rogers Arena in Vancouver. This is the longest roadtrip the Devils have. If you can afford to fly, you should.

Air Canada has 1 nonstop flight between Newark and Vancouver every day, and it lands at 8:46 PM, right in the middle of a game (if it's a standard 7 PM Pacific Time start). If you don't mind changing planes in Toronto, you can get a round-trip fare for a little over $1,400.

If that's too expensive, the other options aren't too good, because they're a lot longer. For example, here's your schedule if you take Amtrak and the connecting bus service:

Leave New York: 3:40 PM Thursday
Arrive Chicago: 9:45 AM Friday
Leave Chicago: 2:15 PM Friday
Arrive Seattle: 10:25 AM Sunday
Leave Seattle: 1:45 PM Sunday
Arrive Vancouver: 5:15 PM Sunday
Puck drops: 7:00 PM Sunday
Game ends: Around 9:30 PM Sunday, and you'll need a hotel
Leave Vancouver: 6:30 AM Monday
Arrive Seattle: 10:55 AM Monday
Leave Seattle: 4:40 PM Monday
Arrive Chicago: 3:55 PM Wednesday
Leave Chicago: 9:30 PM Wednesday
Arrive New York: 6:23 PM Thursday

And that's $887 round-trip. You'd be better off finding a discount airline.

Is taking the bus any better? Not really: You'd have to leave Port Authority at 3:40 PM on Thursday, changing buses in Buffalo, Toronto, and Winnipeg, and arrive in Vancouver at 7:30 AM on Sunday. It's $504 round-trip, but it could drop to $460 on advanced purchase.

The VIA station, Pacific Central Station, is at 1100 Station Street at National Avenue, while the Greyhound station is at 1150 Station Street, not quite next-door, but close. Main Street-Science World Station to Stadium-Chinatown Station in 6 minutes.

Could driving be any worse? Even if you get someone to go with you, and you take turns, one drives while the other one sleeps, and you pack 2 days’ worth of food, and you use the side of the Interstate as a toilet, and you don’t get pulled over for speeding, you’ll still need over 2 full days to get there. One way.

But, if you really, really think driving is a better alternative... Get onto Interstate 80 West in New Jersey, and stay on that until it merges with Interstate 90 west of Cleveland, then stay on 90 through Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, into Wisconsin, where it merges with Interstate 94. Although you could take I-90 almost all the way, I-94 is actually going to be faster. Stay on I-94 through Minnesota and North Dakota before re-merging with I-90 in Montana, taking it through Idaho and into Washington, getting off I-94 at Exit 2B to get on Interstate 5.

You'll take I-5 up to the border, past Exit 276. You'll present your passport, and you'll answer whatever questions the Customs agent has. Presuming you have everything in order and you don't do anything stupid to make him (or her) keep you out of Canada, I-5 becomes BC Highway 99, the Sea to Sky Highway. Once you cross the Lions Gate Bridge, you're in downtown Vancouver.

Not counting rest stops, you should be in New Jersey for an hour and a half, Pennsylvania for 5:15, Ohio for 4 hours, Indiana for 2:30, Illinois for 2 hours, Wisconsin for 3:15, Minnesota for 4:30, North Dakota for 6 hours, Montana for a whopping 13 hours (or 3 times the time it takes to get from New York to Boston), Idaho for 1:15, 8:45 in Washington, and half an hour in British Columbia. That’s 52 and a half hours, so, with rest stops, you’re talking 3 full days.

Once In the City. Originally named Gastown, in honor of its founder, mill baron John "Gassy Jack" Deighton, Vancouver was a product of the 1859 Western gold rush that also founded Denver. Europeans first settled in the area in 1862, Gassy Jack founded a tavern on July 1, 1867, Canada's Confederation Day (effectively, its independence from Britain although it was still part of the Empire and remains part of the Commonwealth).

It was renamed for George Vancouver, an officer of Britain's Royal Navy, who explored and charted North America's Pacific Northwest in the early 1790s. Despite having a name that could be French (VAHN-koo-vair, instead of Van-KOO-ver as we say today), and the city being in a country with French as a second official language, he was English through and through. The city of Vancouver, Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, is also named for him, as are places in Australia and New Zealand, which he also explored.

Vancouver was made possible by its selection in 1884 by the Canadian Pacific Railway as its terminus. It was incorporated as a city in 1886, and, shortly thereafter, was consumed in a Great Fire, much as Chicago had been in 1871 and Boston the next year. Like those cities, Vancouver rebuilt quickly, and the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897-98 was exactly what the doctor ordered. By 1911, the brothers Lester and Frank Patrick were running the Vancouver Millionaires hockey team, and in 1915, they won the Stanley Cup -- still the only one in the city's history, 100 years later.

Like New York, Vancouver is a city of islands. Unlike New York, for whom the Catskills count as "mountains," Vancouver has real mountains. On a clear day, it is one of the most beautiful cities in the Western Hemisphere. On ground level, however, it is as plagued by problems, -- especially poverty, homelessness and crime -- as any city. At least it's cleaner than most American cities.

Home to a little over 600,000 people, Vancouver is Canada's 8th-largest city, behind Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Edmonton, Toronto's neighbor Missisauga and Winnipeg. (Neighboring Surrey is 12th, with 470,000, and nearby Burnaby and Richmond are in the top 25.) But with 2.4 million, "Greater Vancouver" is Canada's 3rd-largest metropolitan area, behind Toronto and Montreal.

Main Street south of Vancouver Harbour, and Lonsdale Avenue north of it, divide city addresses into east and west. There is no divider into north and south, although north of the Harbour are the separate cities of North Vancouver and West Vancouver. Burnaby, New Westminster and Coquitlam are to the east, Surrey to the southeast, Richmond to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

TransLink runs the B-Line bus service, the SkyTrain rapid rail service, the West Coast Express commuter rail, and the SeaBus ferry service. A 1 Zone fare is $2.75, 2 Zone $4.00, and 3 Zone $5.50. After 6:30 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends and holidays (including Sunday, the day of the Devils-Canucks game), discount fares apply, and buying a $2.75 1 Zone ticket will allow you to travel through all zones. And remember, that's C$2.75, making it about US$2.06, making Vancouver's SkyTrain and buses cheaper than New York's Subway and buses. A DayPass costs $9.75.
Going In. The official address for Rogers Arena is 800 Griffiths Way, named for Frank Griffiths, the media mogul who owned the team from 1974 until his death in 1994 and funded the Arena. The actual streets around it are Expo Blvd. to the west and north (separate by the elevated Dunsmuir Viaduct), Abbott Street to the east and Georgia Street to the south.
Parking is $19. The Arena can be reached by SkyTrain at Stadium-Chinatown station. If you came in this way, you will almost certainly enter the Arena from the north.

It was named General Motors Place from its 1995 opening until 2010, when it was temporarily renamed Canada Hockey Place, since Olympic rules forbid corporate names on venues. (Yes, I know: Hypocritical IOC is hypocritical.) Like the Rogers Centre in Toronto and the under-construction Rogers Place in Edmonton, it's named for Canadian network Rogers Sportsnet.

The NBA's expansion Vancouver Grizzlies played there from 1995 to 2001, but never caught on, and moved to Memphis. As the NBA's only remaining Canadian team, the Toronto Raptors play a preseason game there every year. The Arena is Vancouver's main concert venue, as was the Canucks' previous home, the Pacific Coliseum. Neither Elvis Presley nor the Beatles ever performed in Vancouver.

The main venue for hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the Arena is across Georgia Street from BC Place, home of the CFL's British Columbia Lions and MLS' Vancouver Whitecaps.

One of the popular concourse attractions is the Luc Bourdon Wall of Dreams, located at the Gate 3 entrance. The wall commemorates the life of the late Luc Bourdon, the Canucks defenseman tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in May 2009. It also boasts an inspiring display of hockey pucks honoring British Columbia’s rich hockey history.

The rink is laid out east-to-west. The Canucks attack twice toward the east end. Be warned: Its upper deck is said to be steep.
Food. Vancouver is Canada's premier western port. Which means, like San Francisco and Seattle, it is a great food city. The Arena reflects this.

The Centre Ice Grill is on the arena's north side, and the Budweiser Sports Lounge in the southwest corner. Other offerings include: Carve sandwiches at Sections 101, 117 and 321; Catch seafood at 101 and 117; Sante health food at 109, 122 and 313; Smoke's Poutinerie at 111 (I hate poutine); Nathan's Famous hot dogs at 113, 121, 301, 303, 314 and 324 (so they have that in common with the Prudential Center); Triple-O's chicken at 115 and 307; Pizza Hut at 118 and 318; Chop Asian Noodle Stir-Fry at 120; Steamers hot dogs at 120 and 320; Melt grilled cheese at 122 and 310; and Vij's Indian food at 318.

Team History Displays. The Canucks' history has been spotty. Despite playing since 1970, 45 years, they have never won the Stanley Cup. In contrast, the Devils, the Islanders, the Calgary Flames, the Edmonton Oilers, the Colorado Avalanche, the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Carolina Hurricanes and the Anaheim Ducks, all founded after the Canucks, have won 18 Cups between them. The Canucks' record in Stanley Cup Finals is 0-3. (The Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers have each lost more Finals than the Canucks since 1970, but have also won more.)

The Canucks hang banners for their 3 Conference Championships: 1982, 1994 and 2011; their 2 President's Trophies: 2011 and 2012; and their 10 Division Championships: 1975, 1992, 1993, 2004, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. (Note that they reached the Finals without finishing 1st in their Division in 1982 and 1994.)
The Canucks have retired 4 uniform numbers: 10, 1990s right wing Pavel Bure; 12, 1980s right wing StanSmyl; 16, 1990s and 2000s right wing Trevor Linden; and 19, 1990s and 2000s left wing Markus Naslund.
In addition, the Canucks have taken out of circulation, but not officially retired, the following: 11, 1970s left wing Wayne Maki, who died of cancer in 1974, and only Mark Messier has worn it since; 28, 2000s defenseman Luc Bourdon, killed in a motorcycle accident in 2008; 37, 2000s center Rick Rypien, who committed suicide in 2011; and 38, 2000s center Pavol Demitra, killed in the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Air Disaster in Russia in 2011.

In addition, the Canucks have a Ring of Honour, which includes none of the preceding, but does include the following: 1970s center Orland Kurtenbach, 1970s and 1980s defenseman Harold Snepsts, 1980s center Thomas Gradin; 1990s goaltender Kirk McLean, and Pat Quinn, 1970s defenseman and 1990s head coach and general manager.

Stuff. The Canucks Team Store is located at Gate 6, at the Arena's west entrance. There, you can find the usual items available in a hockey team's "pro shop."

With their spotty history, and less of a glamour team than their fellow Canadians, the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Canucks haven't had many good books written about them. Bruce Dowbiggen wrote Ice Storm: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Vancouver Canucks Team Ever, about the run to the 2010-11 Finals and the ultimate heartbreak. That was the team's 40th Anniversary season, Bev Wake and Paul Chapman also covered it in A Thrilling Ride: The Vancouver Canucks' Fortieth Anniversary Season.

In every one of these cases from the 1931 establishment of the award until 1968, it goes to the Pennant winner. By definition: The most valuable player is the one who did the most to help his team win the Pennant.

From the start of divisional play in 1969, it has to go to a player who was on a Playoff team. After all, only regular-season performance is counted.

1931: Lefty Grove, Philadelphia Athletics. Right: He went 31-4 and the A's won the Pennant.

1932: Jimmie Foxx, A's. Wrong: It should have been Lou Gehrig of the Yankees. They won the Pennant, the A's didn't, and it didn't matter than Foxx hit 58 home runs.

1933: Foxx, A's. Wrong: Joe Cronin, Washington Seanators. Batted .309 and drove in 118 runs for the Pennant winners. Whom he also managed.

1934: Mickey Cochrane, Detroit Tigers. Right team, wrong player: Hank Greenberg. Cochrane had a great season and was also the manager, but Greenberg had a better one.

1935: Greenberg, Tigers. Right.

1936: Gehrig, Yankees. Right.

1937: Charlie Gehringer, Tigers. Wrong: Joe DiMaggio, Yankees. .346, 46 homers, 167 RBIs, and he wasn't yet 23 years old.

1938: Foxx, now with the Boston Red Sox. Wrong: DiMaggio. Another monster year that was better than Foxx' 50-homer season.

1939: DiMaggio, Yankees. Right.

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1940: Greenberg, Tigers. Right.

1941: DiMaggio, Yankees. Right. Don't tell me Ted Williams batted .406: It didn't help the Red Sox finish 6th, let alone 1st.

1942: Joe Gordon, Yankees. Right. Don't tell me Williams won the Triple Crown: That and a failure to win the Pennant does not top a Pennant and a 154 OPS+. Don't tell me Williams can't be faulted for faulty teammates: There was plenty of talent on that Red Sox team, and TomYawkey had the money to buy whoever he wanted.

1943: Spurgeon "Spud" Chandler, Yankees. Right: Best year of any AL pitcher since Grove in '31.

1944: Hal Newhouser, Tigers. Wrong: Vern Stephens, St. Louis Browns. Best of a not very impressive bunch on the Pennant winners.

1945: Newhouser, Tigers. Right, on the 2nd try.

1946: Ted Williams, Red Sox. Right, beyond any question.

1947: DiMaggio, Yankees. Right: Again, Ted's Triple Crown doesn't top Joe's title.

1948: Lou Boudreau, Cleveland Indians. Right: Like Cronin in '33, he was a boy manager and shortstop who put his team on his back and led them to the Pennant.

1949: Williams, Red Sox. Wrong: Tommy Henrich, Yankees. Despite injuries and playing out of position (he frequently played 1st base instead of his usual right field), the man known as Ol' Reliable led the team in OPS+ and it won the Pennant.

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1950: Phil Rizzuto, Yankees. Right: He didn't have as good a season in terms of power numbers as DiMaggio, or Yogi Berra, or Hank Bauer, but he did bat .324, collect 200 hits, and play sterling defense. If Vic Raschi hadn't paired his 21-8 record with a 4.00 ERA, it might have been him.

1951: Yogi Berra, Yankees. Right.

1952: Bobby Shantz, A's. Wrong: Allie Reynolds, Yankees. Shantz' season was better statistically, and he almost singlehandedly dragged the A's into 4th place, a level they wouldn't reach again until moving to Oakland. But they weren't close to the Pennant. Reynolds also had a season for the ages.

1953: Al Rosen, Indians. Wrong: Berra, Yankees. Rosen nearly won the Triple Crown, but he didn't win the Pennant. Yogi had the best season of any Yankee. It also could have gone to Mickey Mantle or Eddie Lopat, who had a Cy Young Award-worthy season at age 35.

1954: Berra, Yankees. Wrong: Larry Doby, Indians. If the Yankees had won the Pennant, Yogi would have been a good choice, but they didn't. Doby was a close call over his pitching teammates Early Wynn and Bob Lemon.

1955: Berra, Yankees. Right.

1956: Mickey Mantle, Yankees. Right: Not only did Mantle win the World Series, but he led both leagues in the Triple Crown categories, something that hasn't been done since.

1957: Mantle, Yankees. Right.

1958: Jackie Jensen, Red Sox. Wrong: Mantle, Yankees. Jensen had a really good season, but the Sox were nowhere near the Pennant.

1959: Nellie Fox, Chicago White Sox. Right: This was a Rizzuto '50-type season in that you needed to look at more than power numbers to realize how valuable he was.

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1960: Roger Maris, Yankees. Right: He was not a one-hit wonder.

1961: Maris, Yankees. Right.

1962: Mantle, Yankees. Right.

1963: Elston Howard, Yankees. Right.

1964: Brooks Robinson, Baltimore Orioles. Wrong: Mantle, Yankees. The Orioles nearly won the Pennant, but nearly isn't enough.

1965: Zoilo Versalles, Minnesota Twins. Wrong: Jim "Mudcat" Grant, Twins. "Zorro" was a pick like Rizzuto '50 and Fox '59, but he wasn't even close to being the most valuable player on his own team.

1966: Frank Robinson, Orioles. Right.

1967: Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox. Right.

1968: Denny McLain, Tigers. Right.

1969: Harmon Killebrew, Twins. Right, mostly. Now, we get into the Divisional Play Era, where winning your Division is a qualifier, but winning your Pennant is no longer necessary. The fact that Frank Robinson and Boog Powell both had MVP-quality years probably divided the votes for their team, enabling the Killer to win it.

*

1970: John "Boog" Powell, Orioles. Right, although it could also have gone to his teammate, pitcher Dave McNally.

1971: Vida Blue, Oakland Athletics. Right, although the Orioles' lack of an obvious choice helped.

1972: Dick Allen, Chicago White Sox. Wrong: The ChiSox finished 2nd.

1973: Reggie Jackson, A's. Right.

1974: Jeff Burroughs, Texas Rangers. Wrong: The Rangers finished 2nd.

1975: Fred Lynn, Red Sox. Right: It's probably the only time a rookie has deserved the MVP. Until 2001, it was the only time a player won Rookie of the Year and the MVP. (And Ichiro shouldn't have been considered a "rookie" at that point.)

1976: Thurman Munson, Yankees. Right.

1977: Rod Carew, Twins. Wrong: Al Cowens, Kansas City Royals. The Yankees didn't have a single player that stood out among all the others, although I could have gone with Reggie, or Graig Nettles, or invoked the Rizzuto/Fox/Versalles idea and said Mickey Rivers, or chosen Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle. But the Twins finished 17 1/2 games behind the Royals in the AL West, so, flirtation with .400, 100 RBIs and Gold Glove or no, Carew was not the most valuable player. Cowens had the best season of any Royal.

1978: Jim Rice, Red Sox. Wrong: Ron Guidry, Yankees. This was the dumbest decision in the history of MVP choices, far worse than any of the 3 that the Yankees "stole" from Ted Williams in the 1940s. With an ordinary player in left field instead of Rice, the Red Sox wouldn't have gotten close to the Playoffs. With Rice, the Red Sox still didn't make the Playoffs proper. With Ron Guidry, the Yankees won the World Series. With a .500 pitcher in place of Guidry, the Yankees would have finished 11 games out. I don't care how many total bases he had, or what his "WAR" or his "VORP" was that season: Anybody who thinks Jim Rice was more valuable in 1978 than Ron Guidry is an idiot.

1979: Don Baylor, California Angels. Right, although it could have gone to Ken Singleton of the Pennant-winning Orioles, now a Yankee broadcaster.

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1980: George Brett, Kansas City Royals. Right.

1981: Rollie Fingers, Milwaukee Brewers. Right: The Brewers did make the Playoffs in that weird split-season setup.

1982: Robin Yount, Brewers. Right.

1983: Cal Ripken, Orioles. Right.

1984: Willie Hernandez, Tigers. Right, although it could have gone to Kirk Gibson. A .237 batting average probably cost Lance Parrish the honor.

1985: Don Mattingly, Yankees. Wrong: Brett, Royals. This might be my most controversial decision, because "Donnie Baseball" is still (unfairly) an unimpeachable icon among Yankee Fans. But Brett had nearly as good a season with the bat, and actually reached the Playoffs.

1986: Roger Clemens, Red Sox. Right.

1987: George Bell, Toronto Blue Jays. Wrong: Kirby Puckett, Twins. The Jays blew the AL Eastern Division title in the last week.

1988: Jose Canseco, A's. Right, based on what we knew at the time. What we know about steroids now, we may not have known at the times of these decisions.

1989: Robin Yount, Brewers. Wrong: Dave Stewart, A's. A .231 batting average may have cost Mark McGwire the MVP. Batting .269 may have taken Fred McGriff out of the running, too.

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1990: Rickey Henderson, A's. Right.

1991: Cal Ripken, Orioles. Wrong: The O's were nowhere near the Playoffs.

1992: Dennis Eckersley, A's. Right: The A's did win the AL West.

1993: Frank Thomas, White Sox. Right.

1994: Thomas, White Sox. Right: The ChiSox were leading the AL Central Division when the strike hit.

1995: Mo Vaughn, Red Sox. Right: The BoSox did win the AL East, and, again, we're going by what we knew at the time.

1996: Juan Gonzalez, Rangers. Wrong: Bernie Williams, Yankees. The Rangers did win the AL West and give the Yankees a scare in the 1st 2 games of the AL Division Series, but Bernie ultimately did more for his team. At the time, it looked like he, not Rookie of the Year Jeter, was going to be the defining Yankee of that generation.

1997: Ken Griffey Jr., Seattle Mariners. Right: The M's did win the AL West.

1998: Juan Gonzalez, Rangers. Wrong: Paul O'Neill, Yankees.

1999: Ivan Rodriguez, Rangers. Wrong: Derek Jeter, Yankees. Red Sox fans say Ted Williams was robbed of 3 MVPs. Jeter may have been, and this was the 1st.

*

2000: Jason Giambi, Oakland Athletics. Right: Again, we may have suspected that he was on steroids, but we didn't know.

2001: Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners. Wrong: Roger Clemens, Yankees. The guy won 20 of his 1st 21 decisions. If his ERA+ and WHIP don't excite you, you can go with Tino Martinez.

2002: Miguel Tejada, A's. Right, but it was close. Jason Giambi, whom the Yankees let Tino go to get, had a better season, and also won his Division but got no closer.

2003: Alex Rodriguez, Rangers. Wrong: Mariano Rivera, Yankees. A guy who can't get his team out of last place is no MVP>

2004: Vladimir Guerrero, Anaheim Angels. Right: The Angels did win the AL West, and we're not including the postseason, so David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Curt Schilling -- all arguable MVPs for the Red Sox -- kind of split their vote.

2005: A-Rod, Yankees. Right, although this is a little dubious until you remember that the postseason doesn't count in this decision.

2006: Justin Morneau, Twins. Wrong: Jeter, Yankees. Morneau had a superb season and did win the AL Central, but Jeter's was better from a pure hitting standpoint, was close in terms of power (an OPS+ of 132 compared to Morneau's 140), and played better at a harder position (Morneau is a 1st baseman). Morneau wasn't even selected for the All-Star Team, despite a fine season.

2007: A-Rod, Yankees. Right, though it ended pathetically in the Playoffs.

2008: Dustin Pedroia, Red Sox. Right.

2009: Joe Mauer, Twins. Wrong: Jeter. Again, the Twins player selected had a wonderful season, statistically, and made the Playoffs. But Sports Illustrated got it right when it made Jeter the 1st Yankee ever to be named their Sportsman of the Year.

2010: Josh Hamilton, Rangers. Right: A miserable human being, but it's hard to argue against a Pennant winner with a 170 OPS+.

2011: Justin Verlander, Tigers. Right.

2012: Miguel Cabrera, Tigers. Right: The 1st Triple Crown since Yaz in '67, and the Tigers won the Pennant.

2013: Cabrera, Tigers. Right.

2014: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Right.

Right 56, Wrong 28. In other words, the voters get the decision right 2 out of every 3 times.

*

So who should it be? Let's look at the teams that made the Playoffs:

* AL Wild Card New York Yankees: An MVP vote taken at Labor Day should have chosen between Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira. But the former went into his usual late-season tank job, and the latter got hurt and missed the stretch run, possibly costing the Yanks the AL East. (Greg Bird's performance while stepping into 1st base gave the Yankees some run production, but he wasn't usually put in Teix' spot in the order.)

* AL Central (and World) Champion Kansas City Royals: They had 5 players with OPS+'s in the 120s: Kendrys Morales, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon. Such balance is good for winning a title. It's not so good for getting one of your guys picked for the MVP.

* AL West Champion Texas Rangers: No real standout. They had 4 players with at least a 110 OPS+ and 2 with at least a 125, but no one above 126.

* AL East (and ALDS) Champion Toronto Blue Jays: They have the opposite problem from the Rangers: 3 real standouts in Jose Bautista (OPS+ of 149), Edwin Encarnacion (153) and Josh Donaldson (155). And yet, their most valuable player may have been trade deadline acquisition Troy Tulowitzki.

* AL Wild Card Houston Astros; Carlos Correa, already selected Rookie of the Year, is a possibility. But Dallas Keuchel, sure to win the Cy Young Award, is a better one.

My choice for the 2015 American League Most Valuable Player is Dallas Keuchel, pitcher for the Houston Astros. If you really can't select a pitcher for the MVP, I understand. In that case, your best choice is probably Josh Donaldson, 3rd baseman for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Why not Mike Trout, center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, whose OPS+ was a League-leading 176? Or Cabrera, whose OPS+ was 170? Because they didn't make the postseason, that's why.

Besides, if you've got 41 home runs and a 176 OPS+, as Trout did, you should have a lot more than 90 RBIs, as Trout did.

After all, it's not Most Outstanding Player. It's Most Valuable Player. We laughed and cursed at Stephen Drew all season long, but, in the end, his team made the Playoffs, Trout's team did not. Therefore, by definition, Stephen Drew was a more valuable player in 2015 than Mike Trout.

You might think that's ridiculous. But without Trout's contributions, the Angels would be exactly where they ended up: On the outside looking in. Surely, with Rob Refsnyder at 2nd base instead of Drew, the Yankees would have done better. But he did make a contribution to getting the team into the Playoffs.

Dallas Keuchel was the most valuable player in the American League in 2015.

In every one of these cases from the 1931 establishment of the award until 1968, it goes to the Pennant winner. By definition: The most valuable player is the one who did the most to help his team win the Pennant.

From the start of divisional play in 1969, it has to go to a player who was on a Playoff team. After all, only regular-season performance is counted.

1931: Frankie Frisch, St. Louis Cardinals. Right.

1932: Chuck Klein, Philadelphia Phillies. Wrong: Lon Warneke, Chicago Cubs. The Cubs didn't have a hitter who had the kind of season Klein had, but they did win the Pennant, and Warneke's pitching may have been the biggest reason why.

1933: Carl Hubbell, New York Giants. Right.

1934: Dizzy Dean, St. Louis Cardinals. Right.

1935: Gabby Hartnett, Chicago Cubs. Right.

1936: Hubbell, Giants. Right.

1937: Joe Medwick, Cardinals. Wrong: Mel Ott, Giants. Medwick won the Triple Crown that season, and remains the last player to do so in the National League, but he didn't win the Pennant.

1938: Ernie Lombardi, Cincinnati Reds. Wrong: Bill Lee, Cubs. Apparently, no relation to the 1970s Red Sox pitcher of the same name.

1939: Bucky Walters, Reds. Right.

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1940: Mike McCormick, Reds. Right.

1941: Dolph Camilli, Brooklyn Dodgers. Right.

1942: Mort Cooper, Cardinals. Right.

1943: Stan Musial, Cardinals. Right.

1944: Marty Marion, Cardinals. Right.

1945: Phil Cavarretta, Cubs. Right.

1946: Musial, Cardinals. Right.

1947: Bob Elliott, Boston Braves. Wrong: Harold "Pee Wee" Reese, Dodgers. Elliott had a fantastic season, but the Braves didn't win the Pennant. Reese captained a Pennant winner, and steered Jackie Robinson through the most difficult, and yet most rewarding, season that any individual player has ever had.

1948: Musial, Cardinals. Wrong: Johnny Sain, Braves. Stan the Man was Stan the Monster this season, but the Braves won the Pennant. Elliott would have been a good choice, too, better than he was the year before when the Braves didn't win it.

1949: Jackie Robinson, Dodgers. Right: The 1st black player of the modern era becomes the 1st black batting champion and the 1st black MVP. It was his best season, and the Dodgers may have had the most talented team in franchise history.

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1950: Jim Konstanty, Phillies. Right: It was the 1st time a relief pitcher had ever won the award, and the only time until 1981, but it was a good call. It could also have gone to his teammates Richie Ashburn, Del Ennis or Robin Roberts.

1951: Roy Campanella, Dodgers. Wrong: Monte Irvin, Giants. If the Dodgers had held that 9th inning lead -- and, remember, Campy was injured, so Rube Walker was the catcher in that epic game -- Campy would have been a great choice. But Irvin had a phenomenal season.

1952: Hank Sauer, Cubs. Wrong: Gil Hodges, Dodgers. A tough choice, since he wasn't clearly the best player even on his own team, as Robinson, Campanella and Duke Snider also had great seasons. Of course, Hodges' season was ruined by an A-Rodian postseason performance: 0-for-21, although he did draw 5 walks for an OBP of .192. The Cubs were nowhere near contention. In fact, Sauer was the 1st MVP chosen from a 2nd division team. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th men so honored would also be Cubs: Ernie Banks in '58, Banks again in '59, and Andre Dawson in '87.

1953: Campanella, Dodgers. Right.

1954: Willie Mays, Giants. Right.

1955: Campanella, Dodgers. Wrong: Duke Snider, Dodgers. Campy had a great season (.318, 32, 107, OPS+ of 152) but the Duke had an even better one (.309, 42, 136, 169). This may have been the 1st time in baseball history that a black player was improperly chosen for an award over a white one, instead of the other way around. Besides, Campy already had 2 MVPs. The Duke never won one.

1956: Don Newcombe, Dodgers. Right: Ironically, in the 1st year of the Cy Young Award, created for those who thought pitchers shouldn't win the MVP, Newk was an easy choice for both.

1957: Hank Aaron, Milwaukee Braves. Right.

1958: Ernie Banks, Cubs. Wrong: Aaron, Braves. He didn't quite have the better stats, but he was close, and he did win the Pennant.

1959: Banks, Cubs. Wrong: Snider, Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers weren't exactly Murderers' Row in their 1st era in L.A., but the Duke had the best season of any of their hitters, and none of their pitchers had an outstanding year. And the Dodgers won the Pennant, while the Cubs were, as I said earlier, in the 2nd division.

*

1960: Dick Groat, Pittsburgh Pirates. Wrong: Vern Law, Pirates. Right team, wrong guy. Law did win the Cy Young. Roberto Clemente? Batted .314 with a 121 OPS+, but his 16 homers and 94 RBIs didn't excite a lot of people. Groat batted .325 with 110. So he wasn't a terrible candidate, just not the best one on his own team. And baseball might not have even been Groat's best sport: He was an All-American basketball player at Duke, when Mike Krzyzewski was still in junior high school.

1961: Frank Robinson, Reds. Right.

1962: Maury Willis, Dodgers. Wrong:

1963: Sandy Koufax, Dodgers. Right.

1964: Ken Boyer, Cardinals. Right.

1965: Willie Mays, San Francisco Giants. Wrong: Sandy Koufax, Dodgers. Mays had an amazing season, but Koufax' season was almost perfect. Indeed, he had a perfect game.

1966: Roberto Clemente, Pirates. Wrong: Koufax. Clemente won the batting title, but Koufax was 27-9 with a 1.73 ERA.

1967: Orlando Cepeda, Cardinals. Right.

1968: Bob Gibson, Cardinals. Right.

1969: Willie McCovey, Giants. Wrong: Tom Seaver, New York Mets. No Met has ever won the MVP, but, as good as McCovey's season was, the Giants didn't make the Playoffs, while the Mets won the whole thing.

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1970: Johnny Bench, Reds. Right.

1971: Joe Torre, Cardinals. Wrong: Willie Stargell, Pirates. Yes, Yankee Fans under the age of 40: That Joe Torre. He batted .363 as a righthanded hitter in Busch Memorial Stadium, where you needed Mark McGwire's steroids to be a regular home run hitter. But Stargell didn't need no steroids to hit 48 home runs and generate a 185 OPS+ at Three Rivers Stadium.

1972: Bench, Reds. Right.

1973: Pete Rose, Reds. Right. This is the 1st time it goes to a player whose team won the Division but not the Pennant. But no Met player, not even Seaver, meant as much to his team that season as Rose meant to the Reds.

1974: Steve Garvey, Dodgers. Wrong: Mike Marshall, Dodgers. Another case of right team, wrong guy. Marshall did become the 1st reliever to win the Cy Young, and he set a record that will probably never be topped with 106 pitching appearances in a season. He later set the AL record of 90 while with Minnesota.

1975: Joe Morgan, Reds. Right.

1976: Morgan, Reds. Right.

1977: George Foster, Reds. Wrong: Reggie Smith, Dodgers. Foster hit 52 home runs, a total not beaten by any NL player since 1951 and not topped again until 1998. But the Reds didn't win the Division, let alone the Pennant. Smith had a 168 OPS+. Kind of ironic that Reggie Smith deserved his League's MVP more than Reggie Jackson did his. And Smith nearly had the last word in the World Series. But it was Jackson who would put the exclamation point on the Yankees' win.

1978: Dave Parker, Pirates. Wrong: Smith, Dodgers. This underappreciated slugger had nearly as good a season as he did in '77. Parker did win the batting title, but not his Division.

1979: Tie vote: Stargell, Pirates, and Keith Hernandez, Cardinals. Wrong: Stargell alone. The only tie vote in MVP history, in either League. It should never have been: Batting title or no, Hernandez didn't get his Cards anywhere near the Division title, while "Pops" took his "Family" all the way. Oddly, in the American League, we had the only tie vote ever for a Rookie of the Year, between Alfredo Griffin of Toronto and John Castino of Minnesota.

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1980: Mike Schmidt, Phillies. Right.

1981: Schmidt, Phillies. Wrong: Fernando Valenzuela, Dodgers. The Phils did make the Playoffs in the split-season setup, but Fernando was the 1st pitcher to take both the Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young awards, and should have gotten all 3.

1982: Dale Murphy, Braves. Right. The Pennant-winning Cards didn't have a particular player that stood out, but then, since they did win the World Series, you can easily argue that Hernandez deserved the MVP more this season than he did in '79.

1983: Murphy, Braves. Wrong: Schmidt, Phillies. The Braves did not make the Playoffs, as they had the season before.

1984: Ryne Sandberg, Cubs. Right.

1985: Willie McGee, Cardinals. Right.

1986: Schmidt, Phillies. Wrong: Mike Scott, Houston Astros. The Mets' balance meant that none of their players stood out as an MVP candidate. Was Hernandez more valuable than Gary Carter? Than Darryl Strawberry? Their most valuable player might have been Bob Ojeda. Certainly, he was in the World Series. But none of these men, including Schmidt, made as much of a difference to his team that season as did Scott, who nearly derailed the Mets'"inevitable" title, and did win the Cy Young.

1987: Andre Dawson, Cubs. Wrong: Jack Clark, Cardinals. Dawson was a wonderful player having his best season, but the Cubs finished last, while the Cardinals won the Pennant.

1988: Kirk Gibson, Dodgers. Right, as he starred for them all season long, with a 148 OPS+ and the walkoff homer in Game 1 of the World Series. But it's close, as Orel Hershiser had a truly exceptional season, even if you ignore his 59 consecutive scoreless innings to close the season.

1989: Kevin Mitchell, Giants. Right.

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1990: Barry Bonds, Pirates. Right. Remember, what we know about players using steroids now isn't what we knew then. Besides, Bonds probably wasn't using them before 1999.

1991: Terry Pendleton, Atlanta Braves. Right.

1992: Bonds, Pirates. Right.

1993: Bonds, Giants. Right.

1994: Jeff Bagwell, Astros. Right: Had the standings at the time of the strike held to the end of the season, the Astros would have won the NL Wild Card.

1995: Barry Larkin, Reds. Right: The Reds did win the NL Central Division, and sweep the Dodgers in the NL Division Series, before getting swept themselves by the Braves in the NL Championship Series.

1996: Ken Caminiti, Astros. Wrong, and not because Caminiti used steroids: The Astros didn't make the Playoffs. John Smoltz, Braves. It's tough to argue against the season Mike Piazza had for the NL West-winning Dodgers, but Smoltz was 24-8 to lead the Braves to the Pennant.

1997: Larry Walker, Colorado Rockies. Wrong: Moises Alou, Florida Marlins. Walker had a stellar season, but the Rox didn't make the Playoffs.

1998: Sammy Sosa, Cubs. Right: Steroids or no, Sosa did help the Cubs win the Wild Card.

1999: Chipper Jones, Braves. Right.

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2000: Jeff Kent, Giants. Right. No one Met stood out as an obvious MVP candidate, not even Piazza. And the Giants did win the NL West.

2001: Bonds, Giants. Wrong: Luis Gonzalez, Arizona Diamondbacks. The Giants didn't make the Playoffs, the D-backs went all the way. Of course, if you rule Bonds out for steroid use, you have to rule Gonzo out, too.

2002: Bonds, Giants. Right: The Giants did come within a few outs of winning the whole thing.

2003: Bonds, Giants. Right: The Giants did make the Playoffs.

2004: Bonds, Giants. Wrong: Lance Berkman, Astros. After winning 4 NL Central titles in 5 years with Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Derek Bell, the 'Stros had a new "Killer B's" with Bagwell, Biggio, Berkman and Carlos Beltran, plus they got an MVP-quality season from the much-traveled and already-awarded Kent. But Berkman had the best season of any of them.

2005: Albert Pujols, Cardinals. Right: The Cards did make the Playoffs.

2006: Ryan Howard, Phillies. Wrong: Despite hitting 58 home runs, tying Jimmie Foxx' 1932 record for a Philadelphia player, Howard's Phils didn't make the Playoffs.

2007: Jimmy Rollins, Phillies. Right.

2008: Pujols, Cardinals. Wrong: Brad Lidge, Phillies. It could have been one of his teammates: Howard, Chase Utley, Pat Burrell. But a perfect 41-for-41 in save opportunities is astounding. Even more so when you add the tougher opposition of the postseason, making it 48-for-48.

2009: Pujols, Cardinals. Wrong: Howard, Phillies. The Cards did make the Playoffs, but the Phils won the Pennant, and Howard's season was every bit as good as Pujols'.

*

2010: Joey Votto, Reds. Right: The Reds won the NL Central.

2011: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers. Right: The Brewers won the NL Central, and we didn't yet know Braun was guilty.

2012: Buster Posey, Giants. Right.

2013: Andrew McCutchen, Pirates. Right: The Bucs did make the Playoffs.

2014: Clayton Kershaw, Dodgers: Right: Remember, only the regular season counts toward this vote, and while the Giants won the World Series, it's easy to forget that they were a Wild Card entry, while the Dodgers actually won the NL West.

Right 53, Wrong 31. The AL has a better ratio of getting it right than the NL does, despite the AL also having its mistakes, real and imagined, be more controversial.

*

So, who should be the National League Most Valuable Player for 2015? I've joked that it should be Yoenis Cespedes, even though he was in the NL for only 2 months, because he made the difference between the Mets challenging for the Playoffs and winning the Pennant. So let's look at the Playoff teams, and see who's really most deserving:

* NL East (and NL) Champion New York Mets: Honestly, as in the Met Pennant seasons of 1973, 1986 and 2000, no one guy stands out. Good for winning the Pennant, not so much for the MVP. Cespedes, Curtis Granderson, Lucas Duda, all had very good seasons, but none had a great season. Daniel Murphy? A good regular season, but not as good as those others.

* NL Central Champion St. Louis Cardinals: Another very balanced team. Matt Carpenter comes the closest of any of their players to an MVP season.

* NL West Champion Los Angeles Dodgers: Zack Greinke. 19-3, 1.66 ERA? If he doesn't win the MVP, I'll be surprised. If he doesn't win the Cy Young, I'll be utterly shocked.

* NL Wild Card entry Pittsburgh Pirates: McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez and Starling Marte all had good seasons. None had an MVP-type season.

* NL Wild Card entry Chicago Cubs: Kris Bryant fairly won Rookie of the Year, and Jake Arrieta was the only pitcher who could truly challenge Greinke for the Cy. If the Cubs had won the NL Central, both of their candidacies would carry a bit more oomph. (If you don't mind me using a technical term.)

"But, Mike," you might say, "Aren't you forgetting somebody? What about Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals? He had a truly historic WAR." (Wins Above Replacement player.)

WAR. Huh! What is it good for? If you don't make the Playoffs, absolutely nothin'! It's Most Valuable Player, not Most Outstanding Player. If the Nats had hung on to their lead in the NL East, Harper would be an easy choice. At the least, it would come down to Harper and Greinke. But since Harper didn't get his team into the Playoffs. does he really deserve the MVP? As the man himself would say, "That's a clown question, bro."

Therefore, the most valuable player in the National League in 2015 was Zack Greinke of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Both MVPs should go to pitchers. One with awful hair (Greinke), the other with an atrocious beard (Keuchel). But it's not Most Outstanding Grooming, it's Most Valuable Player.

I used to believe that pitchers should be ineligible for the MVP. But it's hard to ignore what Greinke did for the Dodgers or what Dallas Keuchel did for the Astros.

Want to spend Thanksgiving at Disney World? Probably not. But the New York Knicks will be playing the Orlando Magic in Orlando next Wednesday night, the day before Thanksgiving. Want to spend New Year's at Disney World? The Brooklyn Nets will visit on December 30.

Before You Go. Florida must be where the saying, "It's not the heat that's so bad, it's the humidity" was first used. Indeed, when Miami got its expansion baseball team in 1991, someone joked that, since they already had the Heat, a basketball team that was so bad, the baseball team should be named the Miami Humidity. (It was named the Florida Marlins instead, and is now the Miami Marlins.)

Orlando isn't as far south as Miami, but I've been there in November, and the place simply doesn't recognize what the calendar says for the Northeast. It can be 85 degrees and 100 percent humidity. It can be unbearable. The Orlando Sentinel website currently has (at this writing) temperatures ranging from 81 to 89 throughout the metro area.

For Thanksgiving weekend -- Wednesday through Sunday -- the temperature is expected to range from the mid-60s to the low 80s during daylight, and from the high 50s to the low 70s at night. Plus, it's expected to rain on Wednesday (the night of the game in question) and again on Saturday. So don't dress as you would for a chilly, blustery Turkey Day weekend in N'Yawk or N'Jersey: Prepare for summer, maybe early autumn.

Orlando is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to fool with your timepieces. Florida was part of the Confederate States of America, and Central Florida (outside of Disney World itself, which is its own fiefdom under "Uncle Walt," who was very conservative) is still very much Southern, but you won't need to bring your passport or change your money (although Disney World does use "Disney Dollars" as coupons).

Tickets. The Magic averaged 16,785 fans per home game last season, only about 89 percent of capacity. It is possible that, despite the growth of the Central Florida market, Orlando simply can't support a major league team in any sport. (The soccer team Orlando City SC did well at the box office this year, but that may be due to the novelty of having an expansion team, and some people don't count MLS as "major league" anyway.)

It's why Tampa Bay got a baseball team in 1998 and a hockey team in 1992, and Jacksonville got an NFL team in 1995, and Orlando got none of those. Most of the single-team markets have an NBA team. (Jacksonville is the only one with only an NFL team.)

Seats in the lower level, the 100 sections, are $166 between the baskets and $64 behind them. In the upper level, the 200 sections, they're $90 between and $55 behind, with the last few rows being perhaps the cheapest ticket in the NBA at $10.25 a seat.

Getting There. It's 1,080 miles from Times Square to downtown Orlando. Reading this, your first thought is going to be to fly.

Except that the Knicks-Magic game is being played during Thanksgiving week, when all transportation services will be mostly booked up, and you'll be lucky if prices aren't at the level of "Whatever we (be we the airlines, Amtrak or Greyhound) think we can get away with charging."

Amazingly, you can get a round-trip nonstop flight on United Airlines, going down on next Wednesday, the day of the game, and coming back on either Thursday (Thanksgiving) or Friday, for just $357. This turns out to be a bargain by anyone's standards, especially when you see the Orlando airport and its fantastic monorail. The only problem is, you've got to start at Newark Airport. At least they've finally built their monorail.

Amtrak's Silver Meteor leaves New York's Penn Station at 3:15 PM, and arrives in Orlando at 12:49 the following afternoon, a 21-and-a-half hour trip. It's $542 round-trip. Be advised that the Florida trains, the Silver Meteor and the Silver Star, are notoriously late on their returns to the Northeast Corridor. So flying is the better option. The Amtrak station is on Slight Blvd. at Copleand Drive, downtown.

Greyhound runs 5 buses a day from New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal to Orlando, with a round-trip fare of $483, but it can drop to $298 with advanced purchase. This trip takes 25 hours, with a change of buses and an hour-and-a-half layover in Richmond, which is not fun. So far, flying remains the better option, which is a rarity on these Trip Guides. The Greyhound station is at 555 N. John Young Parkway. 2 miles west of downtown. Number 25 bus.

If you do prefer to drive, see if you can get someone to split the duties with you. Essentially, you’ll be taking Interstate 95 almost all the way down. At Exit 260, take Interstate 4 West, and Exit 82B for downtown Orlando.

It should take about 2 hours to get through New Jersey, 20 minutes in Delaware, an hour and a half in Maryland, 3 hours in Virginia, 3 hours in North Carolina, 3 hours in South Carolina, 2 hours in Georgia, and about 2 hours and 45 minutes in Florida. Given proper 45-minute rest stops – I recommend doing one in Delaware, and then, once you’re through the Washington, D.C. area, doing one when you enter each new State, and then another around Orlando, for a total of 7 – and taking into account city traffic at each end, your entire trip should take about 23 hours -- faster than Greyhound, but not faster than Amtrak.

Once In the City. Founded as Jernigan in 1875, and home to about 255,000 people with a metropolitan area of just under 3 million, Orlando was named for Orlando Reeves, an American soldier who was killed within what is now the city limits during the Second Seminole War in 1835.

There's just one problem: It never happened. There was no fighting in said war in what's now the Orlando area, and the only Orlando Reeves who lived nearby owned a plantation with a sugar mill on it. He carved his name in a tree, and somebody presumed later on that he must have been buried there. How he became a war hero, who knows. Maybe it was Southern pride, something the locals tried to cling to after General Sherman kicked the Confederacy's redneck ass.

The sales tax in Florida is 6 percent, and an additional 6 percent is placed on all hotel rooms. Central Blvd. divides city addresses into North and South, and Orange Avenue divides them into East and West.

Lynx is the local bus service. A single ride is $2.00. Orlando recently began their SunRail commuter service, which, by sometime next year, will extend, north-to-south, from DeLand in the north to Poinciana in the south. (For the moment, it runs from DeBary to Sand Lake Road.) They also want to expand to the airport, and to Daytona Beach; the former will happen next year, but the later remains only a plan.
The arena opened in 2010, with a concert by Vicente Fernandez, "the King of Ranchero Music." Within the last year, it has hosted concerts by James Taylor, the Black Keys, Linkin Park, Fleetwood Mac, Arian Grande, Janet Jackson, and the tour of Demi Lovato and Nick Jonas. It is also home to the Orlando Solar Bears of minor-league hockey, and the Orlando Predators of arena football.

The court is laid out north-to-south. Like the Boston Celtics, the Magic use a "parquet" floor.
Food. Florida is Southeastern Conference territory, where tailgating is a holy rite. Unfortunately, I had trouble accessing the arena website to get details. Here's the link, and you can check for yourself. According to Google Maps, Magic Grill is in the northwest corner of the arena.

Team History Displays. The Magic's history is short: They've only been playing since 1989. (Oddly, they're already on their 2nd arena.) They won the Eastern Conference Championship in 1995, but after getting beaten by the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals and the Chicago Bulls in the next season's Eastern Conference Finals, they were broken up. The dynasty that Shaquille O'Neal, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway and Scott Skiles (now their head coach) were supposed to build never happened.

History repeated itself in the late 2000s: The Magic reached the Finals again, but lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, didn't get back in 2010, and the team of Dwight Howard and J.J. Redick was soon broken up.

The Magic hang banners for their 1995 and 2009 Conference titles, and for their Division titles of 1995, 1996, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
The Magic have retired just 1 number. It's not 32 for Shaquille O'Neal. (Guard C.J. Watson currently wears that number.) It's not 1 for Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. (That number is currently vacant.) It's 6, for the fans, as "The Sixth Man." There aren't a whole lot of options. Until Shaq gets in, the only Hall-of-Famers they've got are Dominique Wilkins and Patrick Ewing, each of whom played just 1 season for the Magic, at the ends of their careers. Ewing and O'Neal are the only members of the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players to have played for the Magic.

Stuff. The Magic Team Shop is in the northeast corner of the arena. The usual NBA team paraphernalia can be found there.

With a short and weak history, there aren't many books written about the Magic. Pat Williams' the team's 1st general manager, wrote Making Magic: How Orlando Won an NBA Team, published in 1989, a few weeks before the team played its 1st regular-season game.

But plug "Orlando Magic" into the Books section of Amazon.com, and the only other book you'll get (not counting team calendars) is Brian Schmitz' tale of the 2008-10 team that didn't quite make it falling apart, Dwightmare: Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic, and the Season of Dysfunction. Part of the problem is the reason the team is named the Magic: Disney World is known as the Magic Kingdom, and that's how the team got its name. Aside from Believe: The Remarkable Run of the 1995 Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic, there aren't any worthwhile vidoes about the team, either.

During the Game. This is the South, but it's not football. And it's not the Miami Heat: There is no rivalry between the Knicks and the Magic. Or the Nets and the Magic. You're not going to be in physical danger unless you provoke someone. So don't do that.

The Magic's mascot has (sort of) a magic theme: Stuff the Magic Dragon. They hold auditions for singing the National Anthem, instead of using a regular singer. Their them song is "We Will" by Team Takeoff. The fans' main chant is a takeoff on a Florida State chant: "O-R-L-A-N-D-O M-A-G-I-C (WHAT WHAT) MAGIC! MAGIC! MAGIC! WOOOO!"
After the Game. Orlando is not known as a high-crime city. Should should be safe going out, and, if you drove to the game, you car should be in one piece.

A block west of the arena, at Church Street and Terry Avenue, there are 3 restaurants that should be open after the game: Chef Eddie's, Johnson's Diner, and Flamingo's Coffee Shop. But I was not able to find any place to eat or drink that is known to cater to New York teams' fans.

Sidelights. Orlando doesn't have much of a sports history. And if you're not interesting in going to the nearby theme parks, there's not a whole lot to do there except experience serious humidity in late November.

* Site of Orlando Arena. "The O-rena" was the Magic's home from their 1989 beginnings until 2010, and also hosted the Solar Bears, the Predators, and, from 1999 to 2002, the Orlando Miracle of the WNBA. (The team moved to become the Connecticut Sun. Funny how they became the Sun after moving from Florida to New England, instead of the other way around.)

The Magic played the 1995 and 2009 NBA Finals at this building, later renamed the TD Waterhouse Center and the Amway Arena (the Magic are owned by Amway chairman Rich DeVos, hence his company's name on arenas old and new). But it opened right before the design of Baltimore's Camden Yards rewrote the rules for sports venues. The skyboxes had the worst sightlines in the arena, and many of them went unleased, denying the Magic precious megarevenues.

As early as 2000, DeVos started whining to the City of Orlando about building him a new arena, even though he's worth $6 billion and could have funded building the $480 million arena he eventually got all by himself -- 12 times over. The O-rena was imploded in 2012, and the site is being redeveloped for both residential and office space. 600 W. Amelia Street at Alexander Place, downtown, about 7 blocks north of its replacement.

* Citrus Bowl and Tinker Field. This complex includes an old football stadium and an old baseball park. Opened in 1936 as Orlando Stadium, the horseshoe, open at the north end, became the Tangerine Bowl in 1946, and from 1947 onward (with the exception of 1973, when it was held at the University of Florida) hosted the game of the same name, often on New Year's Day, which was renamed the Florida Citrus Bowl in 1983.

It seated a mere 8,900 people at its opening, and just 15,900 as late as 1975. But a major expansion boosted it to 52,000 the next year, and 65,438 in 1989. A 2014 renovation brought the total to 60,219, which still gives in more seats than 2 NFL stadiums, the Oakland Coliseum and the Minnesota Vikings' temporary home of TCF Bank Stadium.

The stadium actually hosts 3 bowl games: The Citrus Bowl, the Russell Athletic Bowl, and, starting this year, the AutoNation Cure Bowl, raising money for breast cancer research. Since 1997, it's hosted the Florida Classic, between historically black schools Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman -- a copy of New Orleans' Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern University.

Orlando has never had a team in the NFL, unless you count the Orlando Breakers on the sitcom Coach in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. Real pro football teams that have played there include the Orlando Broncos of the Southern Football League (1962-63), the Orlando Panthers of the Continental Football League (1966-70), the Florida Blazers of the World Football League (1974), the Orlando Renegades of the USFL (1985), the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football (1991-92), and the Orlando Rage of the XFL (2001).

Orlando City Soccer Club has played there since 2011, and got promoted to MLS this year. The Bowl hosted 5 games of the 1994 World Cup, and 8 -- 5 men's, 3 women's -- in the 1996 Olympics (mostly based in Atlanta). It hosted the 1998 MLS All-Star Game, and 3 games of the U.S. national team, most recently in 1998, resulting in a win and 2 draws.

Just to the west of the Bowl, Tinker Field opened in 1914. It was the longtime spring training home of the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins franchise, and when the stadium was rebuilt in 1963, seats from Griffith Stadium were added to it, since the Senators had moved to Minnesota and the new Senators had moved into RFK Stadium.

Pennants in the Class A Florida State League were won by the 1921 Orlando Tigers, the 1923 Orlando Bulldogs, the 1927 Orlando Colts, the 1940 and 1946 Orlando Senators, the 1955 Orlando C.B.'s, and the 1968 Orlando Twins. Pennants in the Class AA Southern League were won by the 1981 Orlando Twins, the 1991 Orlando Sun Rays, and the 1999 Orlando Rays. That's 10 Pennants.

The Orlando Rays moved to Alabama after the 2003 season, becoming the Montgomery Biscuits. Despite metropolitan Orlando having a population greater than 8 MLB markets (St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Denver, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Milwaukee), it has been without professional baseball since the Aaron Boone Game. Rumors of the Tampa Bay Rays moving to Orlando if they can't get a new stadium either in Tampa or St. Petersburg continue to swirl, but if they ever do move, it probably won't be to Orlando, not to the Tinker Field site or to the 9,500-seat Champion Stadium on the Disney World campus.

Unfortunately, the recent renovation of the Citrus Bowl meant that the 100-year-old Tinker Field ballpark would have a right field that was much too short, and it was torn down earlier this year. It seated 5,100 people at the end. 1610 W. Church Street at Rio Grand Avenue, 12 blocks west of the Amway Center.

* Orlando City Stadium. Currently under construction, and set to open next Spring, Orlando City SC and their sister club the Orlando Pride will play here. 700 Church Street at Glenn Lane, downtown, between the Amway Center and the Citrus Bowl complex.

* Bright House Networks Stadium. This 44,206-seat stadium opened on the University of Central Florida campus in 2007. The stadium has a flexible seating section that can safely allow students to bounce, similar to the effect of the metal seating in the west end zone at RFK Stadium in Washington, giving it the nicknames the Bounce House and the Trampoline.

4465 Knights Victory Way at Plaza Drive, 16 miles northeast of downtown. Any bus that goes to Lynx Central Station Terminal, then Bus 104.

* Site of Orlando Sports Stadium. Like the Chicago Stadium and the Olympia Stadium in Detroit, this "stadium" was actually an arena, opening in 1967. It was later renamed the Eddie Graham Sports Complex, after a pro wrestler and promoter, since pro wrestling was its main feature. But it was also a major concert venue, hosting Led Zeppelin in 1971, Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in 1976, and, on February 15, 1977, Elvis Presley.

The building was was not well maintained, and was demolished in 1995. A housing development named Econ River Estates is now on the site.

* Theme Parks. Disney World is 17 miles southwest of downtown Orlando, and, like its counterpart Disneyland in Anaheim, California, is a bit of a walk from the nearest public transportation. It's definitely a car place, although it does have a monorail on the grounds.

Sea World can be reached by public transit: SunRail from Lynx Central Station Terminal to Bus 50. 7007 Sea World Drive, 14 miles southwest. Universal Orlando Resort (formerly Universal Studios Orlando) can be reached from downtown via Bus 40: 6000 Universal Blvd., 8 miles southwest.

Orlando isn't big on museums, but there are 3 that may be worth a look. The Orange County Regional History Center is at 65 E. Central Blvd. at Court Avenue. The Orlando Science Center and the Mennello Museum of American Art are both in Loch Haven Park, at 777 E. Princeton Street. SunRail to Florida Hospital Health Village.

The Beatles never performed in Orlando, but, as I said, Elvis did, toward the end. Toward the beginning, on May 11, 1955, Elvis did 2 shows at the Municipal Auditorium. He performed there again on July 26 and 27, 1955, and twice on August 8, 1956. The building is now named the Bob Carr Theaer, for the Mayor who desegregated the city in the 1960s. 401 W. Livingston Street at Hughey Avenue, downtown, about 5 blocks north of the Amway Center.
Miami has several skyscrapers. Tampa has a few. Orlando really doesn't. The tallest building in town is the SunTrust Center, 441 feet high, at 200 S. Orange Avenue at Church Street, 3 blocks (counting I-4) east of the Amway Center.

Outside of the Orlando-area theme parks, the biggest tourist attraction in Central Florida is the John F. Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, 45 miles east of Orlando, on the Atlantic Coast. You'll have to drive: Public transportation simply isn't available.

Aside from Coach, which used stock footage of the Citrus Bowl (as it had with the University of Iowa, standing in for the fictional Minnesota State) but was filmed in Southern California, there haven't been many TV shows set in Orlando, aside from sitcoms doing the trope of the family going to Disney World for a two-parter. A few movies have been set at Disney World, including the recent George Clooney film Tomorrowland, but the only movie I know of filmed and set in Orlando proper, rather than in Mickeystan, is Ernest Saves Christmas, part of Jim Varney's Ernest P. Worrell ("Hey, Vern!") franchise. Christmas in Orlando? Could be worse: Could be Christmas in Miami. Or Christmas in Vegas.

*

So if you're going to Orlando, take in a Knicks vs. Magic, or Nets vs. Magic, game. Who knows, you might have a good time even if you never set foot in "The Happiest Place On Earth."

A week from tomorrow, the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and again on January 6, the New Jersey Devils travel to the capital of the hockey world. Detroit may call itself Hockeytown, but the real hockeytown is Montréal, Quebec, Canada.

We, as Devils fans, owe the Montreal Canadiens so much. A huge part of our 1st Stanley Cup win, in 1995, came from the Canadiens:

* Head coach Jacques Lemaire was a Hall-of-Fame player for the Canadiens, a star on their 1970s Stanley Cup winners.
* So was assistant coach Larry Robinson, his assistant on our 1995 Cup win, and head coach of our 2000 Cup win.
* Claude Lemieux was a member of the Canadiens' 1986 Cup win.
* So was Stephane Richer.
* Tom Chorske had also played for the Canadiens.
* And, of course, Martin Brodeur was not only a Montréal native, but was the son of Denis Brodeur, son of the team photographer for the Canadiens and baseball's Montreal Expos.

Our 3rd Cup win was coached by Pat Burns, former Canadiens head coach, and former Montréal cop. So all 3 of our Cup-winning head coaches were Canadiens. Another Canadiens Hall-of-Famer, Jacques Laperriere, has coached and scouted in our system the last few years.

More than that, the Canadiens practically invented modern hockey, and through most of the 20th Century, they kept bringing it forward with legend after legend.

And, of course, this is the most knowledgeable and passionate fanbase in the game. And not having won the Cup for 23 seasons (easily a record for them) has, amazingly, not left them bitter. I've only seen 1 live NHL game in Montréal (not against the Devils), and they couldn't have been more hospitable.

A Canadiens home game is something every hockey fan should take in at least once -- even if it means root, root, rooting against the home team.

Note: From this point onward, I will be using the French name with the accent mark, Montréal, except when using it in the name of teams, buildings and newspapers.

Before You Go. This is Canada, the Great White North, so while the arena will be nice and warm, outside, particularly in the heart of winter, could well be miserable, especially if the wind is blasting off the St. Lawrence River, which is roughly as wide as the Hudson and the Passaic. In other words, brrrrrrrr!
But not this time: According to the Montreal Gazette website, they're predicting low 50s for Saturday afternoon, and low 40s for the evening. That's well within normal range for mid-autumn in New York and New Jersey. Of course, by the time the next trip up there comes on January 6, it could well be cold enough for you to say, "Sainte merde!" (That's French for "Holy shit!")

This is why Canadians call hockey jerseys "sweaters": Originally, they really were sweaters, and they needed them to play hockey outside. For next weekend, a winter jacket should be fine, maybe bring gloves.

But for the usual Montréal winter weather, you'll have to bundle up! T-shirt, regular shirt over that, your Devils jersey over that, and a heavy winter jacket over that. A hat (including a Devils cap) may not be enough, so make sure your heavy winter jacket has a hood. Make sure you have good gloves. And earmuffs. As a survivor of frostbitten ears, I am not kidding about this: Your ears will thank you in the middle of subzero insanity. At least no one will ever again (if they still do now) be able to honestly say you haven't suffered for your team!

Being in a foreign country has its particular challenges -- and, yes, for all its similarities to America, Canada is still a foreign country. The French influence makes Quebec cities like Montréal and Quebec City seem more foreign even than Toronto, the only city and metropolitan area in Canada with more people than Montréal.

Make sure you call your bank and tell them you’re going. After all, Canada may be an English-speaking country (at least co-officially, with French, although Quebec is French-first), and a democracy (if a parliamentary one), and a country with teams in America's major leagues, but it is still a foreign country. If your bank gets a record of your ATM card making a withdrawal from any country other than the U.S., it may freeze the card, and any other accounts you may have with them. So be sure to let them know that you will, in fact, be in Canada for a little while.

As of June 1, 2009, you have to have a valid, up-to-date passport to cross the U.S.-Canadian border. You should also bring your driver's license (or other State-issued photo ID). If you don't have a valid passport, you will need a valid photo ID and a copy of your birth certificate. This is not something you want to mess with. Canadian Customs officials do not fuck around: They care about their national security, too.

Do yourself another big favor: Change your money before you go. There are plenty of currency exchanges in New York City, including one on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. There are also a few in New Jersey: Travelex has exchange centers at Newark Liberty International Airport, and at 4 malls: Garden Sate Plaza in Paramus, Jersey Gardens in Elizabeth, Menlo Park Mall in Edison and Bridgewater Commons. 

Leave yourself $50 in U.S. cash, especially if you’re going other than by plane, so you’ll have cash on your side of the border. I was actually in Montréal on the day when it most favored the U.S.: January 18, 2002, $1.60 to $1.00 in our favor. As of Wednesday morning, February 4, US$1.00 = C$1.33, and C$1.00 = US 75 cents.

The multi-colored bills were confusing on my first visit, although we have those now, too:

* The $5 is blue, and features Wilfrid Laurier, Prime Minister, 1896-1911.
* The $10 is purple, and features John A. Macdonald, the 1st Prime Minister, 1867-1873 and again 1878-1891. The nation just celebrated the Bicentennial of his birth (1815). Essentially he’s their George Washington, without having fought a war for independence.
* The $20 is green, and features the nation’s head of state, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.
* The $50 is red, and features William Lyon Mackenzie King, the longest-serving Prime Minister, 1921-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1948, including World War II.
* And the $100 is yellow, and features Robert Borden, Prime Minister 1911-1920, including World War I.

The tricky part is going to be the coins – and you’ll thank me for telling you this, but keep your U.S. coins and your Canadian coins separate, for the simple reason that their penny, nickel, dime and quarter are all the same colors and just about the same size as our respective coins. (To make matters more confusing, as we recently did with our States, they had a Provincial quarter series.)

All coins have Queen Elizabeth’s portrait on the front, as the monarch of Great Britain remains the monarch of all British Commonwealth nations, including Canada. But she’s been Queen since 1952, and depending on how old the coin is, you might get a young woman, or her current 88-year-old self, or anything in between. You might even get a penny or a nickel old enough to feature her father, King George VI. Such a coin is still legal tender, however.

On the backs, the penny has maple leaves, the nickel a beaver, the dime a sailboat, and the quarter an elk. They have a $1 coin, copper-colored, bigger than a quarter, and 11-sided, with a bird on the back. This bird is a loon – not to be confused with the people lunatic enough to buy Maple Leafs season tickets. The coin is thus called the “loonie,” although they don’t say “ten loonies”: They use “buck” for “dollar” the way we would. In fact, the term is connected to Canada: Their first English settlers were the Hudson’s Bay Company, and they set the value of a dollar to the price of the pelt of a male beaver, the male of the species being called, as are those of a deer and a rabbit, a buck. (And the female, a doe.) The nation’s French-speakers (Francophones) use the French word for loon, and call it a “huard.”

Then there’s the $2 coin, or “toonie.” It’s not just two dollars, it’s two-toned, and even two-piece. It’s got a copper center, with the Queen on the front and a polar bear on the back, and a nickel ring around it. This coin is about the size of the Eisenhower silver dollars we used to have. This is the coin that drives me bonkers when I’m up there.

My suggestion is that, when you first get your money changed before you begin your trip, ask for $1 coins but no $2 coins. It’s just simpler. I like Canada a lot, but their money, yikes, eh?

Montréal is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to fiddle with your timepieces. And while a working knowledge of French will help considerably, it is not necessary: Just about everybody in Montréal understands and speaks English. And most signs shouldn't be too hard to read, as they'll look like the signs in the U.S. (EXIT signs read SORTIE but look like EXIT signs, STOP signs are still eight-sided and red, etc.) However, from experience, I can tell you this: As Quebec is Francophone, if you check your phone messages, your signal may get beamed to a Canadian satellite, and you may hear your message in French. And, if you don't understand spoken French, that could be a problem.

Tickets. The Bell Centre seats 21,273, more than any arena in the NHL except Chicago's United Center, and the attendance at every Canadiens home game since it opened in 1996 has been 21,273. Nevertheless, as I write this, there are still tickets available through the Canadiens' website. Note that these prices are in Canadian dollars.

At the Montreal Forum, the lower bowl seats were red, the mezzanine seats were white and the balcony seats were blue. At the Bell Centre, this color (or, as they would spell it, "colour") scheme more or less holds. So if you have the cash and the guts to patronize a scalper, know that Reds (Rouges) will be more expensive than Whites (Blancs), Whites more expensive than Grays (Gris), and Grays more expensive than Blues (Bleus).

And you may have to patronize a scalper. As the Habs' website says:

Please take note that starting this 2015-16 season, a Club 1909 account is required to purchase tickets for all Canadiens games. All your ticket orders will now be centralized in one account; you will no longer need to enter your personal information (name, address, etc…) for future ticket purchases.

All the lower bowl seats, the 100 sections, are red; and are $186 on the sidelines and $145 behind the goals. The 300 sections have white seats, and the ones that are left run $106. The 400 sections have gray seats in front, costing $97 when available, and blue seats in back, which are running at $61. The 200 sections, which have white seats, are club seats, so forget that. 

Getting There. It’s 367 miles from Times Square to downtown Montréal. It's the same distance from the Prudential Center to the Bell Centre. That's in that difficult range where it's a little too close to fly, but too far to get there any other way.

Air Canada runs flights out of Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia International Airport, and the flight to Montréal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport (named for the city native who was Prime Minister almost continuously from 1968 to 1984, and whose son Justin was just elected to the job) takes about an hour and a half. Book on Air Canada today, and you can get a round-trip flight for around US$1,060. Most American carriers will cost roughly the same, but getting a nonstop flight will be harder. From the airport, at the western edge of the city, a bus (appropriately, Number 747) will take about half an hour to get downtown.

Greyhound runs 5 buses a day from Port Authority Bus Terminal to Autobus Greyhound, at 1717 Rue Berri at Boulevard de Maisonneuve. (Countries in the British Commonwealth, including Canada, call a local bus a bus and an inter-city bus a “coach.”) The ride averages about 8 hours, and is $143 round-trip -- although an advance purchase can drop it to $95.

In fact, if you don't want to spring for a hotel room, you can leave Port Authority at 12:01 AM, arrive in Montréal at 7:55 AM, leave again at 11:45 PM, and arrive back home at 7:15 AM.

The terminal is big and clean, and you shouldn’t have any difficulties with it. If you made the mistake of not changing your money yet, there is an exchange window there. It's got a stairway leading to the Berri-UQAM (University of Quebec at Montréal) Metro station. 1717 Rue Berri at Blvd. de Maisonneuve.

Amtrak, however, runs just one train, the Adirondack, in each direction each day between New York and Montréal, in cooperation with Canada’s equivalent, VIA Rail. This train leaves Pennsylvania Station at 8:15 AM and arrives at Gare Centrale (Central Station) at 7:11 PM, a trip of almost 11 hours. The return trip leaves Montréal at 10:20 AM and gets back to Penn Station at 8:50 PM. And since Saturday night's game starts at 7:00, you'd have to take the trip on Friday to get there on time, and spend not 1 but 2 nights in a hotel.

So, while Gare Centrale, bounded by Rue de la Gauchetiere, Rue University, Rue Belmont and Rue Mansfield, is in the heart of the city, taking Amtrak/VIA to Montréal is not particularly convenient. Especially since the Adirondack, with its views of the Hudson River and Lake Champlain, is one of Amtrak’s most popular routes, and it could sell out. If you still want to try it, it’s US$136 round-trip.

If you’re driving, if you live close to the Garden State Parkway, take it across the State Line to the New York State Thruway, Interstate 87. If you live near New Jersey Route 17, take that up to the Thruway. Same with Interstate 287. Once you get to the Thruway/I-87, remain on it through Albany, after which it becomes the Adirondack Northway, all the way up to the border.

When you get to the border, you'll be asked your citizenship, and you'll have to show your passport and your photo ID. You'll be asked why you're visiting Canada. Seeing a Devils vs. Canadiens game probably won't (but might) get you a smart-aleck remark about how the Habs  are going to win, but they won't keep you out of their country based on that alone.

If you're bringing a computer with you (counting a laptop, but probably not counting a smartphone), you don't have to mention it, but you probably should. Chances are, you won't be carrying a large amount of food or plants; if you were, depending on how much, you might have to declare them.

Chances are, you won't be bringing alcohol into the country, but you can bring in ONE of the following items duty-free, and anything above or in addition to this must have duty paid on it: 1.5 litres (53 ounces) of wine, or 8.5 litres (300 ounces or 9.375 quarts) of beer or ale, or 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of hard liquor. If you have the slightest suspicion that I'm getting any of these numbers wrong, check the Canada Customs website. Better yet, don't bring booze in. Or out.

As for tobacco, well, you shouldn't use it. But, either way over the border, you can bring up to 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, and 200 grams (7 ounces) of manufactured tobacco. As for Cuban-made cigars, earlier this year, President Obama loosened the embargo so that you can import up to $100 worth of Cuban-made tobacco per traveler.

If you've got anything in your car (or, if going by bus or train, in your luggage) that could be considered a weapon, even if it's a disposable razor or nail clippers, tell them. And while Canada does have laws that allow you to bring in firearms if you're a licensed hunter (you'd have to apply for a license to the Province where you plan to hunt), the country has the proper attitude concerning guns: They hate them. They go absolutely batshit insane if you try to bring a firearm into their country. Which, if you're sane, is actually the sane way to treat the issue.

You think I'm being ridiculous? How about this: Of the 44 U.S. Presidents -- 9 counting the Roosevelts, Theodore after he was President and Franklin right before -- 7 have faced assassins with guns, 6 got hit and 4 died; but none of the 22 people (including 1 woman) to serve as Prime Minister of Canada has ever faced an assassination attempt. John Lennon recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in Montréal and gave his first "solo concert" in Toronto, but he got shot and killed in New York. In fact, the next time I visit, I half-expect to see a bumper sticker that says, "GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, AMERICANS WITH GUNS KILL PEOPLE."

(Another note about weapons: I’m a fan of the TV show NCIS, which airs in Canada on Global Network TV. If you are also a fan of this show, and you usually observe Gibbs Rule Number 9, "Never go anywhere without a knife," this time, forget it, and leave it at home.  If you really think you're going to need it -- as a tool -- mention the knife to the border guard, and show it to him, and tell him you have it to use as a tool in case of emergency, and that you do not plan to use it as a weapon. Do not mention the words "Rule Number 9" or quote said rule, or else he'll observe his Rule Number 1: Do not let this jackass into your country, eh?)

And if you can speak French, don't try to impress the Customs officials with it. The locals might appreciate that you're trying to speak to them in their primary language, but they won't be especially impressed by any ability to speak it, and any such ability won't make it any easier for you to get through Customs.

When crossing back into the U.S., in addition to what you would have to declare on the way in (if you still have any of it), you would have to declare items you purchased and are carrying with you upon return, items you bought in duty-free shops or (if you flew) on the plane, and items you intend to sell or use in your business, including business merchandise that you took out of the United States on your trip. There are other things, but, since you're just going for hockey, they probably won't apply to you. Just in case, check the Canadian Customs website I linked to above.

After going through Customs, I-87 will become Autoroute 15, which will take you right into the Montréal area.  If you're going to a downtown hotel, take Exit 53 to Pont Champlain (the Champlain Bridge), which will take you to Autoroute 10, the Bonaventre Expressway, across the St. Lawrence River and right into downtown -- or, as they say, Centre-ville.

If you make 2 rest stops – I would recommend at or near Albany, and count Customs, where they will have a restroom and vending machines – and if you don’t do anything stupid at Customs, such as fail to produce your passport, or flash a weapon, or say you watch South Park (a show with a vendetta against Canada for some reason), or say anything unkind about the late Maurice "Rocket" Richard or the late Jean Béliveau, the trip should take about 8 hours. Though that could become 9, because Montréal traffic is pretty bad, though not as bad as Toronto, which is every bit as bad as traffic in New York, Boston and Washington.

Once In the City. Montréal is one of the oldest cities in North America, founded by France in 1642. Seeing a big hill in the middle of the island will tell you where the name came from: "Mont Real,""Royal Mountain." In some instances, things in the city are spelled as "Mont Royal."

With 1.7 million people, Montréal has more people than any American city except New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. There are 3.8 million people in the metro area.

Since Canada is in the British Commonwealth, there are certain subtle differences. Dates are written not as Month/Day/Year, as we do it, but as Day/Month/Year as in Britain and in Europe. So while we would write the date of the game as "November 28, 2015," they would write it as "28 November 2015." Not 11/28/15, but 28/11/15. They also follow the British custom in writing time: A game starting at 7:00 PM would be listed as 1900. (Those of you who have served in the military, you will recognize this as, in the words of M*A*S*H's Lt. Col. Henry Blake, "all that hundred-hours stuff.")

And every word we would end with -or, they will end with -our; and some (but not all) words that we would end with -er, they end with -re, as in "Bell Centre." Every measurement will be in the metric system: Temperatures will be in Celsius, not Fahrenheit; distances will be in "kilometres" (including speed limits), and gas prices will be per "litre," not per gallon.

Speaking of which: Gas prices will be not just in Canadian dollars, but will be per "litre." So if you see "100.9," which is the current average price I'm seeing online for Montréal, that's not US$1.00 & 9/10ths per gallon, that's C$1.01 per liter. Which works out to about US$2.87 per gallon. So, if you're driving, get your gas here in New Jersey, where it's currently running about $1.75.

When you arrive, I would recommend buying The Gazette and The Globe and Mail. The former newspaper is the city's predominant English-language paper, the latter is national, and both are liberal enough to suit my sensibilities (or, should I say, sensible enough to suit my liberalism). And The Gazette has a very good sports section, and does a superb job covering the Canadiens, and nearby minor-league, collegiate and “junior” hockey teams no matter what time of year it is.

I would advise against buying French-language papers like La Presse, Le Journal de Montreal and Le Devoir -- The Press, The Journal, and The Duty -- unless you really know French cold. Especially since Le Devoir is the local paper of Quebec nationalism and even separatism. If The Gazette and The Globe and Mail are too liberal for you, The National Post may be more to your liking. Either the bus or the train terminal will have out-of-town papers, including The New York Times, and possibly also the Daily News or the New York Post.

Like New York, Montréal is a city of islands, with a a main island in the center -- except, unlike Manhattan, you can't cross a State Line (or, in this case, a Province Line) by going over a bridge or into a tunnel. Like New York, Montréal is international and multiethnic: In spite of French being the largest ethnic group, there are significant Irish, Italian and Jewish communities, and, for linguistic reasons, a large and growing community of immigrants from France's former African colonies.

Montréal doesn't really have a centerpoint. (Centrepoint? pointe du centre?) To make matters even more confusing, while they have East and West (Est et Ouest) on street names, like Manhattan, the main island is not perfectly north-south. Indeed, it's actually more than a 45-degree angle, so what's east is more north, and what's west is more south. Boulevard St-Laurent, known as The Main in English and Le Main (pronounced "leh man" in French), is the official east-west divider, where the address numbers on each side start at 1, while the river is the starting point for north-south-running streets.

The further west you go in the city, the more likely you are to hear English; the further east, the more likely you will be to hear only French. In fact, in Montréal's East End, you might see several buildings flying only the Provincial flag, the Fleurdelyse, the blue flag with the white cross and the white lilies in the cantons. These people who fly only the Provincial flag, not the red-white-red tricolor with the red Maple Leaf in the center, are separatists, who consider Quebec a separate nation and want Anglophone Canada to "Let my people go." The separatist tide has faded since the nearly successful referendum of October 30, 1995, but there is still strong separatist sentiment in the East End, and this increases the closer you get to the Provincial capital, Quebec City.

Roger Doucet, an opera singer who sang the National Anthem at Expos and Canadiens games in the 1970s before his death from cancer in 1981, would acknowledge this divide: He would begin the anthem in French, and face the east side of of Parc Jarry, Stade Olympique or the Forum; then, in mid-song, turn and face the west side of the structure, and conclude in English.


Société de Transport de Montréal runs a subway, opened in 1966 and known as “Le Metro,” just like that of Paris. When I first visited, they didn't use tokens or farecards. They used actual tickets. Very small tickets, an inch by an inch and a half. Thankfully, they now use a farecard, called an Opus Card. They charge $3.25 for 1 trip, $6.00 for 2, $26.50 for 10, $10.00 for a one-day card, and $13.00 for an "Unlimited Week-end" running from 6 PM Friday to 5 AM Monday. With the exchange rate, the prices are (especially when you factor in the new-MetroCard fee) roughly comparable to the New York Subway.

Reading the Metro map shouldn't be too much trouble, even if you don't know French. Until last year, the trains, regardless of the color of the line, were all blue. But, like their contemporaries, New York's "Redbirds," they've been replaced by silver cars.



Just as Minneapolis tried to beat the cold by building a skywalk system downtown, Montréal went in the other direction, creating "Underground Montreal." (In French, La Ville Souterraine.) Every day, about half a million people use this system that has over 20 miles of tunnels spread over 4.6 square miles. They connect things like shopping malls, hotels, banks, office buildings, museums, universities, apartment buildings, the bus terminal, Gare Central and Gare Windsor, 7 Metro stations, and, yes, the Bell Centre.

The Provincial sales tax for Quebec is 9.975 percent. And the legal drinking age in Quebec is 18. And if you're staying overnight, and wake up with a craving, and you can't find a Tim Hortons, you can look for a dépanneur. The word means "to help out of difficulty," is sometimes shortened to "dep," and is what we would call a convenience store. Like 7-Eleven or Wawa or Quik Chek. (There's now an eatery named Dépanneur in Brooklyn.)

Going In. I seriously recommend not driving to the arena. If you did drive to Montréal, leave your car at the hotel's parking deck. Getting to the Bell Centre by public transportation is easy. Line 2 goes to Station Bonaventure, and from there it's a 2-block walk west. Because of Montréal's cold weather, this can be done through the Underground City system.

The arena is more or less downtown, so most downtown hotels will be within a short walk, although given the usual hockey season predictions for what would be, to us, extremely cold weather makes this a bad idea. If you really don't want to use the Metro, take a taxi.

The official address of the Bell Centre ("Centre Bell," pronounced SAHN-truh BELL in French) is 1909 Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal -- awarded to it in 2009 on the team's 100th Anniversary. The old address was 1100 Rue de la Gauchetière Ouest. Avenue des Canadiens-de-Montréal, the part of Rue de la Gauchetière that borders the arena, will soon be converted to a pedestrian-only street.
If you must drive, take Exit 4 on Autoroute 720, which goes under downtown (and effectively separates Vieux-Montréal, the old city, from Centre-Ville, or downtown), for Rue de la Montagne Nord. Turn left on Rue de St-Antoine Ouest, then turn right onto Rue de la Montagne, and finally, turn right onto Rue de la Gauchetière. Depending on the event, parking could cost anywhere from C$11 to C$28 (US$8.25 to US$11).

Gauchetière (meaning "land on the left?") is on the north side of the building, and, most likely, this is how you will enter. You might enter on the east side, but you won't enter from the south, and the only way you're likely to enter from the west is if you enter from the adjacent Gare Windsor (Windsor Station), which you won't do unless you're driving from the west of downtown Montréal. (Trains no longer run there, and it's now an office complex.)

Officially, if not exactly geographically, the rink runs north-to-south, and the Canadiens attack twice toward the north goal.
The arena hosted games of the 1996 and 2004 World Cups of Hockey. In 2009, in connection with the Habs' Centennial, it hosted the NHL's All-Star Game and Draft. It's hosted preseason NBA games, usually involving Canada's last remaining NBA team, the Toronto Raptors. (However, Montréal has never had an NBA team, and likely never will.) It hosts concerts and UFC events, including some featuring city native Georges St-Pierre.

Food. Montréal is a great food city, but there are two things of which you should beware. One is Montréal-style hot dogs. This is a problem since hot dogs are a staple of sporting events. They call their hot dogs steamé, stimé or Steamie, and top them with mustard, chopped onion or sauerkraut. Sounds like New York style, right? But they also put this weird relish on it, and that ruins it. Do yourself a favor, and order your Steamie without relish. (Incidentally, in spite of my suggestions of similarities between Montréal and New York, don't expect to see hot dog carts on the streets: The city banned street food carts in 1947.)

The other food you will want to avoid is poutine. It's French fries topped with brown gravy. Sounds great, right? Not so fast: They also top it with curd cheese. As they would say in the city's Jewish neighborhood, "Feh!" Poutine, along with French fries (they call them patates frites, "fried potatoes," as they know that the item originated in Belgium, not France), is available at McDonald's, but stay away from it. Trust me.

If you're a fan of the film Pulp Fiction, you should be aware that, regardless of what it's called in Paris, in Montréal, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese is called "un quarte de livre avec fromage." Literally, "a quarter of a pound with cheese." Not "a royale with cheese."

Neverthless, the Bell Centre has standard arena food, and although none of it is great, most of it upsets Canadian stomachs far less than does NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. One staple of Montréal food that is definitely worth it is viande fumée -- smoked meat sandwiches. Think New York's Carnegie Deli, only cheaper and better. Yum, yum.

Le Mise au Jeu is a private restaurant. However, a level above it, The Capitain's Lounge, sponsored by Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, is open to everyone age 18 and up. Both are located in the (more or less) southwest corner of the arena. Restaurant 9-4-10 -- named for the uniform numbers of Maurice Richard, Jean Béliveau and Guy Lafleur -- is also private. La Cage aux Sports is on the north side of the building, on 2 levels.

Team History Displays. Aside from the Yankees, no team in North American sports does this better than Les Canadiens, a.k.a. Les Bleu, Blanc et Rouge (the Blue, White and Red), a.k.a. Les Habitantes, a.k.a. the Habs. For this nickname, we can thank Tex Rickard, the boxing promoter who built he 3rd Madison Square Garden and founded the Rangers. He was asked what the H in the Canadiens'"CH" logo stood for, and he said, "Habitantes," a reference to the early French settlers of Quebec, especially farmers. This got shortened to "Habs." But Rickard was wrong: The logo had originally been a "CA," for Club Athlétique Canadien, and in the 1st NHL season of 1917-18, it became "Club de Hockey Canadien." You know how the New York media gets once they get hold of a story: Never let the facts get in the way. Montréal fans didn't seem to mind, as English and French fans alike have called them the Habs.

The Montreal Canadiens Hall of Fame is free to ticketholders, starting 90 minutes before puck-drop. Otherwise, it's $11 for individuals, or $34 for an entire family. It features a recreation of the late 1970s Habs' locker room from the Forum, including part of "In Flanders Fields," the poem written 100 years ago, on May 3, 1915, by Lt. Col. John McCrae, a Canadian army doctor. On one side, in English: "To you from failing hands we throw the torch; be yours to hold it high. On the other side, in French: "Nos bras meurtris vous tendent le flambeau, à vous toujours de le porter bien haut." (McCrae would, himself, die in action, but of infectious meningitis, not a combat wound.) Over those words, photos of the Canadiens' Hall-of-Famers are hung, suggesting that these men are the "we" who "throw the torch" to the current players. This display has been recreated in the much larger locker room of the Bell Centre.

Tours of the entire arena, including the Hall of Fame, are $17. I took the tour on my first visit to the city (unfortunately, not during hockey season, so the arena was instead being set up for a concert and the Cup and retired number banners were not on display), and it is well worth it.

The concourse has a display of team photos of all of Montréal's Stanley Cup-winning teams. Not just the Canadiens, but the Maroons, who won in 1926 and 1935 (they lasted from 1924 to 1938), and those before: The Montreal Hockey Club, a.k.a. the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, a.k.a. the Montreal AAA, a.k.a. the Winged Wheelers (winners of the 1st and 2nd Cups awarded, in 1893 and 1894, and also 1902 and 1903, and whose logo would one day inspire their former player Jack Adams to adapt it for the Detroit Red Wings); the Montreal Victorias (1895, 1897 and 1898), the Montreal Shamrocks (1899 and 1900), and the Montreal Wanderers (1906, 1907, 1908 and 1910, with their players including legendary NHL club bosses Lester Patrick of the Rangers and Art Ross of the Boston Bruins).

Hanging in the arena's rafters are banners for the Canadiens' 24 Stanley Cups -- which, between the 22nd won in 1979 and the Yankees' 25th World Series in 1999, were no worse than tied for the most all-time in North American sports: 1916, 1924, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986 and 1993. Like the Yankees, they do not have notations for sub-championships, such as winning the Prince of Wales/Eastern Conference, the Division (whatever it's named at the time), or the President's Trophy for best record in the regular season. For the Habs, it's all about Lord Stanley's Mug.

The rows of Cup banners are along each long side of the arena. Down the middle are banners honoring retired numbers, including 3 that have each been retired for 2 players:

* 1 Jacques Plante, 1950s goaltender.
* 2 Doug Harvey, 1950s defenseman.
* 3 Émile "Butch" Bouchard, 1940s and '50s defenseman.
* 4 Aurele Joliat, 1920s and '30s left wing, and Jean Béliveau, 1950s and '60s center.
* 5 Bernie "Boom-Boom" Geoffrion, 1950s right wing, and Guy Lapointe, 1970s defenseman.
* 7 Howie Morenz, 1920s and '30s center.
* 9 Maurice Richard, 1940s and '50s right wing.
* 10 Guy Lafleur, 1970s right wing.
* 12 Dickie Moore, 1950s left wing, and Yvan Cournoyer, 1960s and '70s right wing.
* 16 Elmer Lach, 1940s and '50s center, and Henri Richard, 1950s, '60s and '70s center.
* 18 Serge Savard, 1970s defenseman.
* 19 Larry Robinson, 1970s and '80s defenseman (and future Devils coach).
* 23 Bob Gainey, 1970s and '80s left wing.
* 29 Ken Dryden, 1970s goaltender.
* 33 Patrick Roy, 1980s and '90s goaltender.
When the Canadiens won their most recent Cup in 1993, they had just 5 retired numbers: Morenz' 7, the Richard brothers' 9 and 16, Béliveau's 4 and Lafleur's 10. 

Jacques Lemaire wore Number 25 as a Canadiens player, but it's been worn by 10 players since he left.

Single digits 6 and 8 are still available. I'm surprised that Number 6 hasn't been retired for Hector "Toe" Blake, who was a Hall-of-Famer as a player before he was head coach for 8 Cup wins in the Fifties and Sixties. They've been less lucky with Number 8: Probably the best player who wore it was Doug Risebrough in the late Seventies. And while the trophy for the best goalie is named for Georges Vezina, the 1910s & '20s star who died of tuberculosis while still an active player in 1926, and was the 1st NHL player to wear Number 1, and they've had other great goalies such as George Hainsworth and Bill Durnan who wore 1, the number has been retired only for Plante.

Maurice Richard was known as the Rocket due to his blazing speed. Since his brother Henri was short (both a younger brother and a "little brother"), he was known as the Pocket Rocket. He holds the record for most Stanley Cups won: 11 -- a total of World Championships matched in North American sports only by Bill Russell of the NBA's Boston Celtics. The brothers were 14 years apart in age, and Maurice was already a professional by the time Henri could remember much, so they didn't really feel like brothers; nevertheless, they played 5 seasons together -- Maurice's last 5 and Henri's first 5 -- and won the Cup all 5 times.

The Canadiens also raised a banner for the Expos' retired numbers: 8, catcher Gary Carter; 10, outfielders Rusty Staub and Andre Dawson; and 30, outfielder Tim Raines.
On the concourse is a photographic display of all the Canadiens in the Hockey Hall of Fame:

* From the 1916 Stanley Cup team: Vezina, defenseman "Bad Joe" Hall (3), center Eduard "Newsy" Lalonde (4), right wing Didier Pitre (5), winger Jacques "Jack" Laviolette (6), center "Phantom Joe" Malone (11), and owner J. Ambrose O'Brien. 

* From the 1924 Stanley Cup team: Vezina, Malone, Joliat, Morenz, defenseman Sprague Cleghorn (2), defenseman Sylvio Mantha (9), and owners Joe Cattarinich and Leo Dandurand. At this time, William Northey built the Montreal Forum, and would be an executive with the Canadiens into the 1950s. He is also in the Hall of Fame.

* From the 1930 and 1931 Stanley Cup teams: Joliat, Morenz, Mantha (by now wearing 2), Hainsworth, Cattarinich and Dandurand. Hall of Fame defenseman Albert "Babe" Siebert (one of the few nongoalies ever to wear 1) played 3 seasons for the Habs, and had been named head coach in 1939, when he drowned, before ever coaching a game. Although he did win a Stanley Cup in Montreal, it was with the 1926 Maroons.

* From the 1944 and 1946 Stanley Cup teams: Maurice Richard, Bouchard, Lach, Blake, Durnan, center Buddy O'Connor (10), defenseman Kenny Reardon (17) head coach Dick Irvin Sr. (whose son, Dick Irvin Jr., would become a Hall of Fame broadcaster for the Habs), general manager Tommy Gorman and owner Donat Raymond.

* From the 1950s Stanley Cup teams: Plante, Harvey, Bouchard (lasting until the '56 Cup), Béliveau, Geoffrion, Moore, defenseman Tom Johnson (10, later coached the Boston Bruins' 1972 Cup win), left wing Bert Olmsead (15), head coach Blake, general manager Franke Selke, and owner Hartland Molson.

* From the 1960s Stanley Cup teams: Béliveau (lasting until the '71 Cup), Henri Richard (lasting until the '73 Cup), Cournoyer, Lemaire, goaltender Lorne "Gump" Worsley (30), defenseman Jacques Laperriere (2, lasting until the '73 Cup), left wing Dick Duff (8), former Toronto Maple Leafs star left wing Frank Mahovlich (27, lasting until the '71 Cup), head coach Blake, and general manager Sam Pollock. These Canadiens were so good that Rogie Vachon (30) and Tony Esposito (29) could win Cups as backups, then be let go to other teams, and get elected to the Hall of Fame and get their numbers retired (Vachon, 30 by the Los Angeles Kings; Esposito, 35 by the Chicago Blackhawks) -- and yet, with Dryden, the Habs never missed them.



Statues of Maurice Richard, Béliveau and Lafleur stands outside the north side the arena. Another stands outside the Maurice Richard Arena in the Olympic Park, which includes the Olympic Stadium.

A week from today, the New York Giants will play away to the Washington Redskins.

At this time, I don't feel like having a debate over whether to continue using the "Redskins" name. Yes, it's bad. But I want to make this travel guide as simple as possible, so I'm going to use "Redskins" and the abbreviation "'Skins" throughout.

Before You Go. D.C. can get really hot in summer, but this will be late November, so you won't have to worry about the heat. The Washington Post is predicting low 70s for the afternoon, and mid-50s for the evening. They do not mention a chance of rain, so it should be dry.

Washington is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to fiddle with your clocks, digital or otherwise.

Tickets. Tickets are always harder to get for NFL games than for MLB games. This is especially true in Washington: Having one of the smallest stadiums in the League before they had one of the largest, even with 24,000 extra seats to sell, the waiting list for season tickets is incredibly long. As Richard Nixon said while he was President, "The only thing people in Washington care about is the Redskins. Nobody gives a damn about the Smithsonian or the Kennedy Center." (Yeah, he would say something like that about something named for JFK. And let the record show that the Watergate complex is right next-door to the Kennedy Center.)

Despite the Redskins' struggles the last few years, they still average 74,347 fans per home game -- but that's 87 percent of capacity, and only Oakland and St. Louis have a lower percentage. And any tickets returned by the visiting team go to people on their massive season-ticket waiting list. So you'll have to go to either a scalper or the NFL Ticket Exchange.

In the lower level, the NFLTE has sideline seats for this game running from $135 to $285, and in the end zone from $120 to $277. In the upper deck, sidelines go for $76 to $155, and end zones for $76 to $137.

Getting There. Before I begin this part, let me remind you that this upcoming weekend is Thanksgiving Weekend, and a lot of seats on planes, trains and buses will be bought up already. Especially for Sunday, since that's the end of the weekend. So expect what's left to be more expensive than usual.

Getting to Washington is fairly easy. Ordinarily, if you have a car, I recommend using it, and getting a hotel either downtown or inside the Capital Beltway, because driving in Washington is roughly (good choice of words there) as bad as driving in New York. However, since FedExField is not in the District, I would recommend driving, especially if you're only going down for the game, and not "seeing the city."

It’s 229 miles by road from Times Square to downtown Washington, and 219 miles from MetLife Stadium to FedExField. If you’re not “doing the city,” but just going to the game, take the New Jersey Turnpike all the way down to the Delaware Memorial Bridge (a.k.a. the Twin Span), across the Delaware River into the State of, well, Delaware. This should take about 2 hours, not counting a rest stop.

Speaking of which, the temptation to take an alternate route (such as Exit 7A to I-195 to I-295 to the Ben Franklin Bridge) or a side trip (Exit 4, eventually leading to the Ben Franklin Bridge) to get into Pennsylvania and stop off at Pat’s Steaks in South Philly can be strong, but if you want to get from New York to Washington with making only 1 rest stop, you’re better off using the Delaware House Service Area in Christiana, between Exits 3 and 1 on the Delaware Turnpike. It’s almost exactly the halfway point between New York and Washington.

Once you get over the Twin Span – the New Jersey-bound span opened in 1951, the Delaware-bound one was added in 1968 – follow the signs carefully, as you’ll be faced with multiple ramp signs for Interstates 95, 295 and 495, as well as for US Routes 13 and 40 and State Route 9. You want I-95 South, and its signs will say “Delaware Turnpike” and “Baltimore.” You’ll pay tolls at both its eastern and western ends, and unless there’s a traffic jam, you should only be in Delaware for a maximum of 15 minutes before hitting the Maryland State Line.

At said State Line, I-95 changes from the Delaware Turnpike to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, and you’ll be on it for about an hour (unless you want to make another rest stop, either the Chesapeake House or the Maryland House) and passing through Baltimore, before seeing signs for I-895 and the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, Exit 62.

From here, you’ll pass through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Take I-895 to Exit 4, and you’ll be on Maryland Route 295 South, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. BWP exits are not numbered, so you'll have to watch the mileposts and the town names on the exit signs. Your exit onto the Capital Beltway, I-95/495, will be just past Mile 6, And it will read "I-495 S/I-95 S" and mention Richmond, Virginia and Andrews Air Force Base. (That's where the 747s that serve as Air Force One are kept -- and, no, you won't be allowed in to see them, so don't bother visiting.)

Once on the Beltway, it's important to remember that, while I-95 and I-495 have directions, the Beltway itself is (more or less) circular. It has an Inner Roadway, running clockwise, and an Outer Roadway, running counterclockwise. On the way in, you'll be on the Inner Roadway. You'll take Exit 16, for Maryland Route 202/Landover Road, with signs indicating Bladensburg and Upper Marlboro. M-202 will run parallel to the Beltway, until you reach Exit 17A, again saying M-202/Landover Road, toward Upper Marlboro. Then you take Exit 16 for Arena Drive. (Yes, that's what Google Maps says: 16, then 17A, then 16 again.)

When you reach Arena Drive, turn right. Arena Drive flows right to the stadium, which is encircled by FedEx Way. If all goes well -- getting out of New York City and into downtown Baltimore okay, reasonable traffic, just the one rest stop, no trouble with your car -- the whole trip should take about 3½ hours.

Washington is too close to fly, just as flying from New York (from JFK, LaGuardia or Newark) to Boston, Philadelphia and Baltimore, once you factor in fooling around with everything you gotta do at each airport, doesn’t really save you much time compared to driving, the bus or the train.

The train is a very good option, if you can afford it. Washington’s Union Station is at 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE, within sight of the Capitol Building. But Amtrak is expensive. They figure, "You hate to fly, you don't want to deal with airports, and Greyhound sucks, so we can charge whatever we want." New York to Washington will run you $152 each way on a standard Northeast Regional, and $176 on Acela Express (formerly the Metroliner), which would be $304 or $352 round-trip. And that’s before you add anything like Business Class or, God forbid, Amtrak’s overmicrowaved food. Still, it’s less than 3 hours if you take the Acela Express, and 3 hours and 40 minutes if you take a regular Northeast Corridor train.

Another option is to buy a ticket for the New Carrollton, Maryland station, head out to Bus Bay C, and take the F14 bus to Hill Oaks Drive & Michele Drive. From there, it's a 10-minute walk to the stadium. The Amtrak price won't be any different, although the price for the bus may be, compared to the Metro.

Greyhound has rectified a longtime problem. They now use the parking deck behind Union Station as their Washington terminal, instead of the one they built 6 blocks away (and thus 6 blocks from the nearest Metro station), in the ghetto, back in the late 1960s. So neither safety nor aesthetics will be an issue any longer. Round-trip fare on Greyhound can be as high as $132, but you can get it for as little as $97 on advanced purchase. (This is much higher than normal, due to this being T-Day weekend.) It takes about 4 1/2 hours, and usually includes a rest stop about halfway, either on the New Jersey Turnpike in South Jersey or on the Delaware Turnpike.

Once In the City. Founded in 1800, and usually referred to as "The National City" in its early days, and "Washington City" in the 19th Century, the city was named, of course, for George Washington, although its "Georgetown" neighborhood was named for our previous commander-in-chief, King George III of England.
The name of its "state," the District of Columbia, comes from Columbia, a historical and poetic name used for America, which was accepted as its female personification until the early 20th Century, when the Statue of Liberty began to take its place in the public consciousness. "Columbia" was derived from the man who "discovered America," Christopher Columbus, and places throughout the Western Hemisphere -- from the capitals of Ohio and South Carolina to the river that separates Washington State from Oregon, from the Ivy League university in Manhattan to the South American nation that produces coffee and cocaine, are named for him.

Like a lot of cities, Washington suffered from "white flight," so that, while the population within the city limits has seriously shrunk, from 800,000 in 1950 to 650,000 today; the metro area went from 2.9 million to double that, 5.9 million. As a result, the roads leading into the District, and the one going around it, the Capital Beltway, Interstate 495, are rammed with cars. Finally, someone wised up and said, "Let's build a subway," and in 1976, the Metro opened.

That metropolitan growth was boosted by the Maryland and Virginia suburbs building housing and shopping areas for federal-government workers. And, perhaps more than any other metro area, the poor blacks who once lived in the city have reached the middle-class and built their own communities (especially to the east, in Maryland's Prince Georges County, which includes Landover). The metro area now has about 6 million residents -- and that's not including the metro area of nearby Baltimore, which would boost it to nearly 8.5 million and make it the 4th-largest "market" in the country, behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, slightly ahead of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lots of people from the District and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs went up the Parkway to Baltimore to see the Orioles during the District's 1972-2004 baseball interregnum. However, during the NFL interregnum between Robert Irsay's theft of the Colts in 1984 and the arrival of the Ravens in 1996, Baltimore never accepted the Redskins as their team, despite 2 Super Bowl wins in that period. (So from March 1984 to August 1996, if you lived in the BaltWash Corridor, you had to take the Orioles for baseball and the Washington teams for the other sports. Since April 2005, you've had options for MLB and the NFL. But if you live closer to Baltimore, you still have to go to D.C. for the NBA, the NHL or MLS.)

When you get to Union Station, pick up copies of the Washington Post and the Baltimore Sun. The Post is a great paper with a very good sports section, and in just 6 seasons (now into a 7th) has covered the Nats very well, despite the 1972-2004 era when D.C. had no MLB team of its own. As a holdover from that era, it still covers the Orioles well. The Sun is only an okay paper, but its sports section is nearly as good as the Post's, and their coverage of their town's hometown baseball team rivals that of any paper in the country -- including the great coverage that The New York Times and Daily News give to the Yankees and Mets.

Do not buy The Washington Times. It was founded by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon in 1982 as a replacement for the bankrupt Washington Star as the area’s conservative equivalent to the “liberal” Post. (That’s a laugh: The Post has George Will, Charles Krauthammer, Michael Gerson and Kathleen Parker as columnists!) Under editor-in-chief Wesley Pruden, the Times was viciously right-wing, “reporting” every rumor about Democrats as if they were established, proven fact, and giving Republicans a free pass. Moon’s “Unification Church” sold the paper in 2009, and Pruden retired the year before. But it has cut about 40 percent of its employees, and has dropped not only its Sunday edition but also its sports section. And now, there’s another paper, the Washington Examiner, owned by the same company as the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, and it is so far to the right it makes The Washington Times look like the Daily Kos. It is a truly loony publication, where Michael Barone of the American Enterprise Institute and Byron York of National Review are considered moderates.

So avoid the loonies and the Moonies, and stick with the Post. Even if you don’t agree with my politics, you’re going down to D.C. for baseball, and the Post’s sports section kicks ass.

The sales tax in the District, once as high as 9 percent, is now just 6 percent.

The centerpoint for street addresses is the Capitol Building. North and South Capitol Streets separate east from west, and East Capitol Street and the National Mall separate north from south. The city is divided into quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southeast and Southwest (NW, NE, SE and SW). Because of the Capitol's location is not in the exact geographic centerpoint of the city, NW has about as much territory as the other 3 quadrants put together.

Remember: On street signs, 1st Street is written out as FIRST, and I Street is written out as EYE, so as to avoid confusion. And for the same reason, since I and J were virtually indistinguishable in written script when D.C. was founded in 1800, there is no J Street. Once the letters are expended, they go to to 2- and then 3-syllable words beginning with the sequential letters: Adams, Bryant, Clifton, etc.

Going In. Washington’s subway, the Metro, was not in place until 1976, but, thereafter, it was a relatively easy ride to Redskins games at RFK Stadium. But the move to the Beltway made this a lot harder.

From Union Station (having taken either the train or the bus in), you'll get on the Red Line to Metro Center, and transfer to the Blue Line to Morgan Blvd. The walk up Morgan to the stadium should take about 20 minutes. Because the outbound trip will be during rush hour, it will cost you $4.10. To make matters worse, the Metro stops running at midnight, and you won't be able to get back from Morgan Blvd. station to Union Station. For this reason, driving down would be the best option for this game. Next season, when the Giants are more likely to be playing the Redskins away on a Sunday, things will be different.
As for driving: Going from downtown D.C., you should take any northbound numbered street that gets you to New York Avenue, a.k.a. U.S. Route 50. Take it to Exit 3B, which will take you onto M-202/Landover Road. When you get to Brightseat Road, turn right. Brightseat becomes Redskins Road, which, as you might guess, goes right to the stadium. It should take between 20 and 30 minutes.

The official address of FedExField -- for a reason that I don't know, it is officially written as one word -- is 1600 FedEx Way, Landover, Maryland. If the name Landover sounds familiar, it's because the stadium is almost exactly across the Beltway from the site of the Capital Centre, where the Bullets (now the Wizards), the Capitals, and the Georgetown basketball team used to play.

Parking is a whopping $57.50 -- but would you rather take a taxi back to Union Station (which might cost the same), and then stay there until the middle of the night? I didn't think so. All lots permit tailgating and open four hours before the game begins. Parking permits may be obtained via eBay, Craigslist or StubHub or by calling the Redskins Ticket Office at (301) 276-6050.

Despite its size, the stadium is not an architectural marvel. It's not even an architectural curiosity, the way RFK Stadium is with its weird sloping roof and its overhanging upper deck. While the NFL is a league that shuns imagination, embracing functionality first, and aesthetics much further down the line (if at all), there are some stadiums that are distinctive: Soldier Field with its exterior Doric columns (iconic, if not Ionic), the Los Angeles Coliseum with its arched "peristyle" at the east end, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis with its windows. FedExField, home to a team with 5 NFL Championships to its name but none won while playing there, is just a stadium. A big stadium, but no big deal.
The field is natural grass. Most football stadiums are aligned north-to-south, so that the angle of the sun doesn't bother the players. FedEx, however, is aligned (more or less) east-to-west. Whether this is a factor with the Redskins not having done well, I don't know. But in their 1st 18 seasons at FedEx, the 'Skins have made the Playoffs only 4 times. Contrast that with RFK Stadium: They made the Playoffs in 8 of their last 15 seasons there, and in 13 of their last 19.

The Redskins went from having the smallest stadium in the NFL, and possibly the best atmosphere and the best home-field advantage, to having the largest stadium, with the worst atmosphere, and hardly any home-field advantage.

The move from RFK in the District, where the fans had to walk down hard city streets from the Metro (hazardous even if you weren't wearing enemy colors), to FedEx (originally named Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in memory of the team's former owner, before new owner Daniel Snyder sold the naming rights to Federal Express) in the comfortable suburbs, meant that the 'Skins could no longer play in a stadium where the upper deck was right on top of the field, and where the aluminum stand that retracted to fit in a baseball field could no longer be jumped on to create noise like an oversized high school football game.
Capacity at FedEx was once 91,704, the highest in the league. (The Cowboys' AT&T Stadium now surpasses this.) But the furthest-back seats were so far back that Redskin fans, used to the closeness of the seats at RFK (the first of the oval multipurpose "concrete ashtray" stadiums, and easily the most intimate of those), complained like hell. The team kept tarping over seats, until the capacity was reduced to 79,000, 4th-largest in the NFL, and people still complained. Now, it's officially 82,000, less than MetLife and AT&T Stadiums.

According to Richard Smith of Stadium Journey:

The biggest shock I had as a first time guest to FedExField was how old the stadium felt. Opened in 1997, it seemed like a stadium opened possibly two decades earlier. It is shocking to consider that it is only one year older than Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium.

The concourses are dark and dreary. It has modern touches, such as the wider public areas and numerous food stands of a newer facility, but still never felt like a place that opened five years AFTER the groundbreaking Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Wandering the concourses brought back memories of long gone places such as Veterans Stadium, The Kingdome and Candlestick Park. That is not a good thing.

The Vet, the Kingdump, and The 'Stick? Oy vey -- especially if you're a fan of an NFC East team and thus had to visit The Vet. He continues:


In 2008, Sports Illustrated took a poll, and FedEx came in 28th among the 31 NFL stadiums, keeping in mind that the Giants and Jets groundshare. So if you count them as having 2 different atmospheres in the same stadium, FedEx is really 29th out of 32.

The Army-Navy Game was played at FedExField in 2011. So far, the U.S. soccer team has played just 1 match at the stadium, a draw with Brazil on May 30, 2012. There were 4 matches played there in the 1999 Women's World Cup. European soccer clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona, Internazionale Milano , Manchester United and Chelsea have plays summer tour games there. It's hosted concerts by Paul McCartney, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and Metallica.

Food. In 1992, I attended a preseason baseball game at RFK Stadium, between the Orioles and the Red Sox. The food was horrible, including the worst hot dog I've ever had at a sporting event. Worse even that the terrible tube steaks at Sayreville High School football games (and those things are foul). The next day, right before the O's were to open the brand-new Camden Yards, it was reported that several of their players (but none of the Red Sox) had come down with food poisoning. I wasn't surprised. (They won the Camden Yards opener anyway.) I would later attend 2 Nationals games and the 2013 U.S.-Germany soccer match at RFK, and the food, while not great, had substantially improved.

Hopefully, it is better at FedExField. According to the team website:

Starting 3 hours before every preseason and regular season game, the AAA Ultimate Fan Zone offers its members a pre-game food and entertainment extravaganza unmatched anywhere else in the NFL. Bar-B-Q food and soft drinks are included in the admission price. Entertainment includes live music, appearances by cheerleaders and former players, video games, giveaways and flat screen televisions showing the early games. For more information, contact the Premium Seat Sales department at 301-276-6800 or by email at clubinfo@redskins.com.

They also have other areas where such amenities are available, including a Hooters restaurant, but most of them are in Club Seating, so forget it. A Johnny Rockets is available to all ticketholders, but, like the one at the new Yankee Stadium, prices are going to be closer to Outback Steakhouse than to McDonald's. They also have Ben's Chili Bowl, which was described on one website I saw as a local icon, although I've been to D.C. many times (including visits to RFK Stadium, Nationals Park and the Verizon Center), and have never noticed it.

Team History Displays. The Redskins have a Ring of Fame, featuring 47 individuals considered important to the history of the team. In 2002, as part of the team's 70th Anniversary celebrations -- they've been in Washington since 1937, but first played in 1932 as the football version of the Boston Braves -- the 70 Greatest Redskins were named. In 2012, on the 80th Anniversary, they added 10 names to make it the 80 Greatest Redskins. Some of these players are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Players are noted by the abbreviations ROF (Ring of Fame), 80GR (80 Greatest Redskins) and HOF (Pro Football Hall of Fame):

* From the 1937 and 1942 NFL Champions: ROF, founder-owner George Preston Marshall, quarterback-safety Sammy Baugh, running back-cornerback Cliff Battles, and two-way end Wayne Millner; 80GR, Baugh, Battles, Millner, head coach Ray Flaherty, two-way tackle Turk Edwards, and two-way back Andy Farkas; HOF, Marshall, Flaherty, Baugh, Battles, Millner, Edwards.

* From the 1950s: ROF, Quarterback Eddie LeBaron, running backs Bullet Bill Dudley, Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice and Dick James, and defensive end Gene Brito; 80GR, each of the preceding, plus running back Don Bosseler, receiver Hugh Taylor, center Al DeMao, guard Dick Stanfeld and linebacker Chuck Drazenovich; HOF, only Dudley.

* From the 1960s (but not making it to 1972): ROF, head coach Vince Lombardi (the former Packer boss came out of retirement to coach them in 1969, but died before the next season started), flanker Bobby Mitchell, guard Vince Promuto and linebacker Sam Huff; 80GR, Mitchell, Promuto, Huff, and safety Paul Krause; HOF, Lombardi, Mitchell, Huff and Krause. In addition, Dutch Bergman, who briefly coached the Redskins, and also in D.C. at the Catholic University of America, was, along with just about all of these figures, on the old Washington Wall of Stars at RFK Stadium, for running the company that built RFK.

* From the 1972 NFC Champions: ROF, head coach George Allen, quarterbacks Sonny Jurgensen and Billy Kilmer, running back Larry Brown, receiver Charley Taylor, tight end Jerry Smith, center Len Hauss, linebacker Chris Hanburger, and cornerbacks Brig Owens and Pat Fischer; 80GR, each of the preceding, plus receiver Roy Jefferson, offensive tackle Terry Hermeling, defensive tackle Diron Talbert, defensive ends Ron McDole and Bill Brundige, linebackers Harold McLinton and Rusty Tillman, cornerback Mike Bass, and punter Mike Bragg; HOF, Allen, Jurgensen and Hanburger. In addition, Edward Bennett Williams, the Washington "superlawyer" who owned the Redskins from 1962 to 1985, buying them from Marshall, selling a majority share in them to Cooke in 1974 and the rest of his stock to Cooke in 1985, was on the Washington Wall of Stars, but not in the 80GR or, as yet, in the ROF.

* Between the 1972 and 1982 seasons' trips to the Super Bowl: ROF, 80GR and HOF, safety Ken Houston.

* From the 1982 NFL Champions: ROF, owner Jack Kent Cooke, head coach Joe Gibbs, defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, trainer Lamar "Bubba" Tyer, public address announcer Phil Hochberg, quarterback Joe Theismann, running back John Riggins, receiver Art Monk, guard Russ Grimm, offensive tackle Joe Jacoby, defensive tackle Dave Butz, defensive end Dexter Manley, and placekicker Mark Moseley; 80GR, Gibbs, Petitbon, and each of the preceding players, plus general manager Bobby Beathard, offensive line coach Joe Bugel (builder of that legendary "Hogs" line), running back Joe Washington, running back Mike Nelms, tight end Don Warren, center Jeff Bostic, offensive tackles George Starke and Mark May, linebackers Neal Olkewicz and Monte Coleman, and safety Mark Murphy; HOF, Gibbs, Riggins and Grimm.

* From the 1987 NFL Champions: ROF, Cooke, Gibbs, Petitbon, Tyer, Hochberg, Monk, Grimm, Jacoby, Butz, Manley, quarterback Doug Williams, receiver Gary Clark, defensive end Charles Mann and cornerback Darrell Green; 80GR, Gibbs, Petitbon, Bugel, Beathard, Monk, Grimm, Jacoby, Butz, Manley, Williams, Clark, Mann, Green, Warren, Bostic, May, Olkewicz, Coleman, receiver Ricky Sanders, guard Raleigh McKenzie, and offensive tackle Ed Simmons; HOF, Gibbs, Grimm and Green.

* From the 1991 NFL Champions: ROF, Cooke, Gibbs, Petitbon, Tyer, Hochberg, Monk, Grimm, Jacoby, Clark, Mann, Green, and running back Brian Mitchell; 80GR, Gibbs, Petitbon, Beathard, Monk, Warren, Bostic, Grimm, Jacoby, Clark, Mann, Green, Mitchell, Sanders, McKenzie, Simmons, Coleman, quarterback Mark Rypien, running back Earnest Byner, offensive tackle Jim Lachey, and linebacker Wilber Marshall; HOF, Gibbs, Grimm and Green.

* Since 1991: ROF, linebacker Ken Harvey, safety Sean Taylor, and Prince George's County Executive Wayne Curry, who led the drive to get the stadium built; 80GR, Harvey, Taylor, running back Terry Allen and Clinton Portis, offensive tackles Jon Jansen and Chris Samuels, and linebacker LaVar Arrington; HOF, defensive end Bruce Smith (better known as a Buffalo Bill, and didn't make the 80GR or, as yet, the ROF).
Long ago, the Redskins retired Baugh's Number 33. It remains the only number officially retired by the team, and they probably won't officially retire another unless it's another quarterback who turns out to have been as good as Baugh (and good luck with finding one). However, some numbers are understood to be unofficially retired; Theismann's 7, Jurgensen's 9, Sean Taylor's 21, Green's 28, Charley Taylor's 42, Brown's 43, Riggins' 44, Mitchell's 49, Butz's 65, Huff's 70 and Monk's 81.

There is no exterior display of Baugh's retired number. Nor is there any of the team's 5 NFL Championships (1932, 1942, 1982, 1987 and 1991), their 11 conference titles (1936, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1972, 1982, 1983, 1987 and 1991), their 13 divisional titles (1936, 1937, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1945, 1972, 1983, 1984, 1987, 1991, 1999 and 2012), or their 10 Wild Card Playoff berths (1971, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1992, 2005 and 2007).

Stuff. The Redskins Hall of Fame Store is located next to the Comcast SportsNet Gate (Gate H) on the Lower Level, across from Section 141. The Hall of Fame Store is open during the week from 10 AM to 6 PM, Monday through Saturday, all year round. On game day the store opens when parking lots open and stays open up to 2 hours after the game. The store accepts American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Discover.

Fans old enough to remember the 1980s might remember the fans wearing plastic pig noses, or even entire pig masks, in honor of the offensive line "Hogs." I don't know if they sell those. Nor do I know if they sell Indian headdresses, in keeping with the Redskin image, as many fans have been known to do.

I am seriously hoping the Hall of Fame Store, and any other stores at RFK Stadium, do not sell the "Hogettes" outfits. These were big fat guys who wore dresses, ladies' hats, wigs, sunglasses and plastic pig snouts to games from 1983 until 2012, when they decided to retire the act. But they raised a lot of money for charity, and still do so -- just not in costume.
Being in the Nation's Capital (well, since 1997, sort of), there are plenty of books written about the Redskins, some of which may be available at the Hall of Fame Store. In 1996, Thom Loverro published The Washington Redskins: The Authorized History; he followed this in 2007 with Hail Victory: An Oral History of the Washington Redskins. (He's also written books about the nearby Baltimore Orioles and the Negro Leagues.) David Elfin, the former president of the Pro Football Writers of America, and Art Monk collaborated on Washington Redskins: The Complete Illustrated History in 2011.

Historian Thomas G. Smith wrote Showdown: JFK and the Integration of the Washington Redskins, telling of how the 'Skins (in a situation dripping with irony) became the last team in America's top 3 sports to racially integrate. (I'm not counting hockey: Although every NHL team has had black players now, until the 1980s the game was dominated by Canadians, and there simply aren't very many black Canadians. But even the Boston Bruins, with Willie O'Ree in 1958, had integrated before the Redskins. The last team then in existence to integrate was the Montreal Canadiens, with Steven Fletcher in 1988 -- although there wasn't any outcry, the way there was in baseball and football.)

Since the District of Columbia Stadium (later to be renamed for the President's brother) was on land owned by the federal government, President John F. Kennedy had the man with jurisdiction, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall (father of one recent U.S. Senator and uncle of another) tell Redskins owner George Preston Marshall that if he wanted the stadium, he had to integrate, or else he'd be stuck in the Senators' old Griffith Stadium with its 35,000 seats. Marshall relented, and traded for Cleveland Browns running back Bobby Mitchell, who was moved to receiver and was fully embraced by Washington fans.

In 2008, the NFL released the DVD NFL: History of the Washington Redskins. They've also released NFL's Greatest Rivalries: Washington vs. Dallas, and NFL: Washington Redskins -- 3 Greatest Games, containing their 3 Super Bowl wins (1982-83/XVII, 1987-88/XXII, and 1991-92/XXVI).

During the Game. You do not need to fear wearing your Giant gear to FedExField. Despite the boisterousness of Redskin fans, you are not Cowboy fans. They won't start anything, so if you don't, you will be safe.

The Redskins are 1 of only 3 NFL teams with an official marching band. The band will play the National Anthem, usually in support of a singer chosen from auditions. Since 1938, they have played "Hail to the Redskins" after every score and every win. Why a band and a fight song? Founding team owner George Preston Marshall (a visionary but also an unrepentant bigot) knew, in those early days, that college football was more popular. So, since D.C. didn't have a major college team (the University of Maryland is inside the Beltway, but there wasn't any Beltway until 1961), he wanted to give the city the college football experience.
It worked: Redskin games have nearly always been well-attended, even when the team was bad. (Although, even in the RFK days, there were a lot of guys there to impress others. You know: Businessmen, lobbyists, lawyers, politicians... ) While the chorus includes the words "Braves on the warpath," the verses have been altered over the years to make the song less offensive (i.e., "Scalp 'em" became "Beat 'em").

Although, in a great irony, Griffith Stadium, the Redskins' 1st home in D.C., was just off a college campus -- but it's that of Howard University, the mostly-black school known as the Black Harvard. I'm guessing Marshall wasn't happy about that. In fact, Howard's hospital is now on the site of the stadium.

Today, the band is integrated by both race and gender, which would no doubt cause Marshall's eyes to bug out. Although the lyrics to "Hail to the Redskins" were written by his wife, actress Corinne Griffith. (Despite the name, she was not related to Washington Senators owner and stadium namesake Clark Griffith, or Clark's nephew and successor as Senators owner, Calvin Griffith, who moved the team to Minnesota mainly because D.C. had become a majority-black city, and he was even more overtly racist than Marshall.)

Oddly, the song is the source of the Redskins-Cowboys rivalry. In 1959, when Marshall, whose vote carried a lot of weight with the other NFL owners, refused to allow a Dallas team in the NFL -- which would end his team's status as the southernmost in the league, thus breaking into the biggest source of his income, Southern radio and TV rights to NFL games -- Clint Murchison, the leader of the group trying to get the Cowboys in, bought the rights to the fight song, and told Marshall that if he didn't want to pay through the nose to use the song, he had to back the Cowboys' entry. Marshall did so, and Murchison sold him the rights to the song.

The Redskins do not have an official mascot. But they do have Zema Williams, a.k.a. Chief Zee. He's been coming to Redskin games in an Indian-themed costume since 1978, and went to all 4 Super Bowls in the Joe Gibbs era -- not an easy feat considering they were in Pasadena, Tampa, San Diego and Minneapolis, all far from Washington. He's also done local car ads.

He's missed 2 Washington home games in 36 years: In 1981, when his father died; and in 2007, when, in a class act, he paid tribute to the best-known fan of the arch-enemy, the Dallas Cowboys. Wilford Jones, a.k.a. Crazy Ray, had been dressing up in a Wild West outfit in Cowboys colors from 1963 to 2006, and he and Zee had gone to every Redskins-Cowboys game -- in D.C, Landover and Irving -- for many years, and become good friends in spite of their opposition. The "mascot" version of "honor among thieves," I suppose. For the Cowboys' 2007 home opener, in full costume, Zee escorted Jones' widow onto the field at Texas Stadium, and they got a standing ovation, including from people who normally can't stand the Redskins.

During a 1983 visit to Veterans Stadium, the Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles, and angry Eagle fans took their frustrations out on him: He was beaten up, his leg was broken, and his original costume was ruined. But he still goes up to Philadelphia, and has been left alone since. Nor to Giants or Cowboys fans give him a hard time. Zee is now 74, and has had health difficulties in recent years, but he's still at it, and still one of the most recognizable fans of any NFL team, up there with the Jets' Fireman Ed and the Giants' License Plate Guy.

After the Game. If you’re looking for a postgame meal (or even just a pint), you’ll have trouble finding it nearby, as the stadium is an island in a sea of parking. However, with this game being a 1:00 start, it will probably end by 4:30, so you could go down Arena Drive, and across the Beltway to the mall (The Boulevard at Capital Centre).

The bar 51st State is a known hangout for Mets, Yankees, Giants, Knicks and Rangers fans. (No mention of the Jets, Nets, Islanders or Devils, though.) 2512 L St. NW at Pennsylvania Avenue. Metro: Blue or Orange to Foggy Bottom.

Sidelights. Washington's sports history is long, but not good. The Redskins haven't won a World Championship in 24 seasons; the Bullets/Wizards, 37 seasons; all of its baseball teams combined, 92 years (yes, ninety-two); the Capitals, never in their 42-season history. Indeed, no D.C. area team has even been to its sport's finals since the Caps made it 18 seasons ago. But, if you have the time, these sites are worth checking:

* Site of Griffith Stadium. There were 2 ballparks on this site. Boundary Park was built in 1892 and burned down in 1911, within weeks of New York’s Polo Grounds. Just as the Polo Grounds was rebuilt on the same site, the Senators rebuilt their home exactly where it was. Originally called League Park and National Park (no S on the end) before former pitching star Clark Griffith bought the team, this stadium was home to the old Senators from 1911 to 1960, and the new Senators only in 1961.

The Redskins played there from 1937 to 1960, and won the NFL Championship there in 1937 and 1942, although only the ’42 title game was played there. There was another NFL title game played there, in 1940, but the Redskins were beaten by the Chicago Bears – 73-0. (Nope, that’s not a typo: Seventy-three to nothing. Most points by one team in one game in NFL history, slightly ahead of the ‘Skins’ 72-49 victory over the Giants at RFK in 1966.)

While the Senators did win 3 Pennants and the 1924 World Series while playing at Griffith, it was not a good home for them. The fences were too far back for almost anyone to homer there, and they hardly ever had the pitching, either (except for Walter Johnson). In 1953, Mickey Mantle hit a home run there that was measured at 565 feet – though it probably shouldn’t count as such, because witnesses said it glanced off the football scoreboard at the back of the left-field bleachers, which would still give the shot an impressive distance of about 460 feet.

The Negro Leagues’ Homestead Grays also played a lot of home games at Griffith, although they divided their "home games" between Washington and Pittsburgh. Think of the Grays as the original Harlem Globetrotters, who called themselves "Harlem" to identify themselves as a black team even though their original home base was Chicago (and later moved their offices to Los Angeles, and are now based in Phoenix).

By the time Clark Griffith died in 1955, passing the team to his nephew and adopted son Calvin, the area around Griffith Stadium had become nearly all-black. While Clark, despite having grown up in segregated Missouri during the 19th Century, followed Branch Rickey's path and integrated his team sooner than most (in particular going for Cubans, white and black alike), Calvin was a bigot who wanted to move the team to mostly-white Minnesota. When the new stadium was built, it was too late to save the original team, and the “New Senators” were born.

Griffith Stadium was demolished in 1965, and, as I said earlier, Howard University Hospital is there now. 2041 Georgia Avenue NW at V Street. Green Line to Shaw-Howard University Station, 3 blocks up 7th Street, which becomes Georgia Avenue when you cross Florida Avenue.

* Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium. Originally named District of Columbia Stadium (or “D.C. Stadium”), the Redskins played there from 1961 to 1996. The new Senators opened there in 1962, and President John F. Kennedy threw out the first ball at the stadium that would be renamed for his brother and Attorney General in 1969. (There was a JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, formerly Municipal Stadium, where the new arena, the Wells Fargo Center, now stands.)

The new Senators played at RFK Stadium until 1971, and at the last game, against the Yankees, the Senators were up 7-5 with one out to go, when angry fans stormed the field, and the game was forfeited to the Yankees. The ‘Skins moved to their new suburban stadium in 1997, after closing the '96 campaign without the Playoffs, but the final regular-season game was a thrashing of the hated Cowboys, with over 100 Redskin greats in attendance.

The Nats played the 2005, ’06 and ’07 seasons at RFK. D.C. United, once the most successful franchise in Major League Soccer, have played there since MLS was founded in 1996, winning the league title, the MLS Cup, 4 times, including 3 of the 1st 4. The MLS Cup Final was played there in 1997 (DCU over the Colorado Rapids), 2000 (the team now known as Sporting Kansas City over the Chicago Fire) and 2007 (the Houston Dynamo over the New England Revolution). Previously, in the North American Soccer League, RFK was home to the Washington Whips, and the Washington Diplomats, featuring Dutch legend Johan Cruyff. And the Beatles played there on their final tour, on August 15, 1966.

DC/RFK Stadium was the first U.S. stadium specifically designed to host both baseball and football, and anything else willing to pay the rent. But I forgive it. It was a great football stadium, and it’s not a bad soccer stadium, but for baseball, let’s just say Nationals Park is a huge improvement. And what is with that whacked-out roof?

No stadium has hosted more games of the U.S. national soccer team than RFK: 23. (Next-closest is the Los Angeles Coliseum, with 20.) Their record there is 15 wins, 3 draws and 5 losses. So RFK is thus the closest America comes to having a "national stadium" like Wembley or the Azteca. The last match there was on September 4, 2015, a 2-1 win over Peru.

On June 2, 2013, I was in attendance at RFK Stadium for the 100th Anniversary match for the U.S. Soccer Federation. It was a 4-3 win over Germany, but this was not indicative of their true strength: They were operating at half-power because their players from Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund had so recently played the UEFA Champions League Final. Only 4 players who played in this game went on to play and win for Die Mannschaft in the 2014 World Cup Final: Centreback Per Mertesacker (of Arsenal), left back Benedikt Howedes, and forwards Miroslav Klose and Andre Schurrle (you can't be serious).

RFK hosted 5 games in the 1994 World Cup, 9 games of the 1996 Olympic soccer tournament (6 men's and 3 women's, with the main portion of the games being played in Atlanta), and 6 games of the 2003 Women's World Cup.

With the Nats and ‘Skins gone, United are the only team still playing there, and plans for a new stadium for them, near Nationals Park, are moving slowly, so it will still be possible to see a sporting event at RFK Stadium for the next few years.

2400 East Capitol Street SE. Orange Line or Blue Line to Stadium-Armory. The D.C. Armory, headquarters of the District of Columbia National Guard, is that big brown arena-like thing across the parking lot.

* Nationals Park and new D.C. United stadium. The Nats' new home opened in 2008, at 1500 South Capitol Street at N Street. It's not flashy, but it looks nice. The plan for a new D.C. United stadium is for one at Buzzard Point, on land bounded by R, 2nd, T & Half Streets SW, 3 blocks from Nationals Park. The land has finally been acquired, but not yet cleared, and construction may not begin until the spring. For the moment, the plan is for DCU to begin play there in March of 2018, meaning 2 more seasons at RFK.

Prince Georges County had a proposal for a new stadium near FedExField, and Baltimore offered to build one, leading fans of DCU's arch-rivals, the New York Red Bulls, to mock the club as "Baltimore United." But the Buzzard Point stadium is now almost certain to happen.

* Uline Arena/Washington Coliseum. This building was home to the District’s first NBA team, the Washington Capitols, from 1946 to 1951. They reached the 1949 NBA Finals, losing to the Minneapolis Lakers of George Mikan, and were the first pro team coached by Red Auerbach. Firing him was perhaps the dumbest coaching change in NBA history: By the time Red coached the Boston Celtics to their first NBA title in 1957, the Capitols had been out of business for 6 years.

The Coliseum was last used for sports in 1970 by the Washington Caps (not "Capitols," not "Capitals," just "Caps")of the ABA. It was the site of the first Beatles concert in the U.S. (aside from their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show 2 nights before), on February 11, 1964.

It still stands, and its interior and grounds are used as a parking lot, particularly for people using nearby Union Station. Unfortunately, it’s in a rotten neighborhood, and I wouldn’t recommend visiting at night. In fact, unless you’re a student of NBA history or a Beatlemaniac, I’d say don’t go at all. 1140 3rd Street NE, at M Street. Red Line to Union Station, and then it’s a bit of a walk.

* Site of Capital Centre. From 1973 to 1997, this was the home of the NBA’s Washington Bullets, who became the Wizards when they moved downtown. From 1974 to 1997, it was the home of the NHL's Washington Capitals. The Bullets played in the 1975, ’78 and ’79 NBA Finals there, although they’ve only won in 1978 and clinched that at the Seattle Kingdome.

The Cap Centre was also the home for Georgetown University basketball, in its glory years of Coach John Thompson (father of the current coach, John Thompson III), Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, Dikembe Mutombo and Allen Iverson. Remember those 1980s battles with the St. John’s teams of Louie Carnesecca, Chris Mullin and Walter Berry?

Elvis Presley sang there on June 27, 1976 and on May 22 and 29, 1977. (He never gave a concert in the District.) It was demolished in 2002, and a shopping mall, The Boulevard at the Capital Centre, was built on the site. 1 Harry S Truman Drive, Landover, Prince George’s County, Maryland, just outside the Capital Beltway. Blue Line to Largo Town Center station.

* Verizon Center. Opened in 1997 as the MCI Center, the NBA’s Wizards, the NHL’s Capitals, the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and the Georgetown basketball team have played here ever since. Only one Finals has been held here, the Caps’ 1998 sweep at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. (Georgetown has reached a Final Four since it opened, but those are held at neutral sites.) But it’s a very good arena. 601 F Street NW, at 6th Street. Red, Green or Yellow Line to Gallery Place-Chinatown Station.

* The Smithsonian Institution. Includes the National Museum of American History, which contains several sports-themed items. 1400 Constitution Avenue NW. Blue or Orange Line to Federal Triangle. (You could, of course, take the same lines to Smithsonian Station, but Fed Triangle is actually a shorter walk.)

If you're into looking up "real" TV locations, the Jeffersonian Institute on Bones is almost certainly based on the Smithsonian. The real NCIS headquarters used to be a short walk from Nationals Park, on Sicard Street between Patterson and Paulding Streets. Whether civilians will be allowed on the Navy Yard grounds, I don't know; I've never tried it. I don't want to get stopped by a guard. I also don't want to get "Gibbs-slapped" -- and neither do you. However, they have since moved to the Marine base at Quantico, Virginia, and that's a bit of a trek.

Of course, The West Wing was based at the White House, at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. The best-known D.C.-based show that didn't directly deal with government officials was Murphy Brown. The FYI studio was said to be across the street from Phil's, whose address was given as 1195 15th St. NW. Neither the bar nor the address actually exists, but if the address did, it would be at 15th & M Streets. This would put it, rather conveniently, right down the block from 1150 15th Street, the headquarters of The Washington Post.

The University of Maryland, inside the Beltway at College Park, can be accessed by the Green Line to College Park and then a shuttle bus. (I tried that for the 2009 Rutgers-Maryland game, and it works very well.) Byrd Stadium is one of the nation’s best college football stadiums, but I wouldn’t recommend sitting in the upper deck if you’re afraid of heights: I think it’s higher than Shea’s was.

Across from the stadium is Cole Field House, where UMd played its basketball games from 1955 to 2002. The 1966 and 1970 NCAA Championship basketball games were played there, the 1966 one being significant because Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso) played an all-black starting five against Kentucky’s all-white starters (including future Laker, Knick and Heat coach Pat Riley and Denver Nuggets star Dan Issel). In the 1970 Finals, it was UCLA over the University of Jacksonville.

Elvis sang there on September 27 and 28, 1974. The Terrapins won the National Championship in their final season at Cole, and moved to the adjacent Comcast Center thereafter.

Remember that Final Four run by George Mason University? They’re across the Potomac River in Fairfax, Virginia. Orange Line to Virginia Square-GMU.

I also recommend visiting the capital’s museums, including the Smithsonian complex, whose most popular buildings are the National Archives, hosting the originals of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; and the National Air and Space Museum, which includes the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, Chuck Yeager’s Glamorous Glennis (the 1st plane to break the sound barrier), and several space capsules including Apollo 11. The Smithsonian also has an annex at Dulles International Airport out in Virginia, including a Concorde, the space shuttle Discovery, and the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the 1st atomic bomb.

In spite of what some movies have suggested, you won't see a lot of tall buildings in the District.  The Washington Monument is 555 feet high, but, other than that, no building is allowed to be taller than the Capitol. Exceptions were made for two churches, the Washington National Cathedral and the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the Old Post Office Pavilion was built before the "unwritten law" went into effect. In contrast, there are a few office buildings taller than most D.C. buildings across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, and in the neighboring Maryland cities of Silver Spring and New Carrollton.

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Have fun in the Nation’s Capital. And enjoy Giants vs. Redskins, a rivalry now in its 84th season -- it's 79th season in Washington.

September 29, 1621: What we now call "The First Thanksgiving" is held at Plymouth, Massachusetts, about 40 miles southeast of present-day Boston. Attending the feast were 53 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans of the Wampanoag tribe.

The foods served that day included items we would now recognize as traditional in Thanksgiving dinners: Turkey, berries, fruit, and various squashes including pumpkins. Also served at that meal, which would not become traditional to Thanksgiving, but would become traditional to what would become known as New England, were fish, lobster and clams.

Since no game that would later be called "football" was brought over by the Pilgrims, it's unlikely that such a game was played at Plymouth Plantation that day. There may have been games of some kind, but not football.

November 26, 1789: President George Washington, 7 months after taking office as the 1st President of the United States, had, the previous month, proclaimed this to be a day of thanksgiving in America.

Still no football. Sport wasn't exactly a priority in America's infancy. Survival as a nation was.

November 26, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln, trying to tap into national patriotism and to seek God's blessings during the American Civil War, proclaimed this to be a day of thanksgiving. Thus did it become the last Thursday in November -- usually the 4th, but sometimes the 5th, Saturday.

The month before, the Football Association was founded in England. But English football -- or association football, abbreviated to "assoc." and eventually turned into the word "soccer" -- wasn't played by many Americans at this point. But the tradition of Thanksgiving caught on.

November 6, 1869: Rutgers College and the College of New Jersey -- later to become Rutgers University and Princeton University -- play what's now called the 1st college football game, at College Field in New Brunswick, New Jersey, on what's now the parking lot behind Rutgers' College Avenue Gym.

The game was played 25-a-side, and was, essentially, an overcrowded soccer game. The Rutgers men got scarlet fabric -- cheap and thus easy to obtain -- and, to more easily tell each other apart, wrapped it around their heads like turbans. Thus were invented both school colors and the football helmet. Thus distinguishable, Rutgers outscored Princeton 6 goals to 4. They played each other again the following Saturday, November 13, at Princeton, and, this time, Princeton more than got revenge, winning 8-0. But neither game was played on a Thanksgiving Day.

November 17, 1869: From that day's edition of the Evening Telegraph of Philadelphia:

Foot Ball: A match between twenty-two players of the Young America Cricket Club and the Germantown Cricket Club will take place on Thanksgiving Day at 12 1/2 o'clock, on the grounds of the Germantown Club.

Philadelphia's proximity to Rutgers and Princeton, who had played the first and second recognized college football games in America earlier in the month, suggests that this match was organized by players from those games, or at least spectators at them.

November 25, 1869: Said game would have been played. Oddly, I can't find the result.

May 12, 1875: Norwich Free Academy and New London High School play each other in football for the 1st time, making this the oldest high school football rivalry not just in Connecticut, but in the entire country. By the 1890s, it is moved to Thanksgiving. The schools are 14 miles apart, and NFA leads 76-67-11. NFA won today, 14-6.

November 30, 1876: The 1st Thanksgiving Day college football game is played. Two years earlier, a game between Harvard University and McGill University was played, a hybrid of the soccer that the Bostonians (or, rather, the Cantabridgeans) had been playing and the rugby preferred by the Montrealers. Harvard had gathered the presidents of the various colleges that were already playing football, and had the rules standardized.

This game was played at, interestingly, the site of what was long alleged to be the 1st baseball game: The Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey, outside New York City, roughly halfway between the schools involved: Princeton of New Jersey and Yale University of New Haven, Connecticut. Yale won, 2-0.

November 30, 1882: The Intercollegiate Football Association decides to hold an annual collegiate championship game in New York on Thanksgiving Day, between the 2 teams with the best records. Yale settles it, beating Princeton 2-1 in New York.

On the same day, west of Boston, the oldest public school football rivalry in the country begins: Needham vs. Wellesley, 3.5 miles apart. The rivalry is also close in margin: Wellesley leads 60-59-9. Today, Needham won, 12-7, in a game played at Fenway Park. The rivalry is 30 years older than Major League Baseball's oldest ballpark.

November 24, 1887: The two oldest high schools in America, each playing football for the first time, begin their rivalry: The Boston Latin School and English High School. They are 2.8 miles apart, play annually at Harvard Stadium (which would seem to be natural). Latin has dominated the series, leading 79-36-13, including a win today, 21-6.

November 28, 1889: Baltimore City College and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute play each other for the 1st time. They have played at Baltimore's largest football stadium ever since: Municipal Stadium starting in 1922, Memorial Stadium in 1954, and M&T Bank Stadium in 1998. Crowds of over 25,000 would attend. However, this game is no longer played on Thanksgiving, due to Maryland extending its State Playoffs. It is now played on the 1st Saturday in November, and it couldn't be much closer, with City leading 60-58-6. City won this year's game 42-6.

The City-Poly tradition is kept alive, however. Every Thanksgiving morning at 9:00 AM, alumni -- whether they played football for their respective school or not -- is invited to play in a flag football game at Herring Run Park in Baltimore.

November 30, 1893: Gonzaga College High School and St. John's College High School, both of Washington, D.C., begin playing each other. They no longer play on T-Day if either makes the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association playoffs. St. John's won this year's game, 21-17. Gonzaga leads the series 45-41-3.

T-Day is also the day that the DCIAA holds its annual football championship game. At this writing, the game between Woodrow Wilson and H.D. Woodson was in progress.

November 29, 1894: New Jersey's oldest and most-played high school football rivalry is 1st played, in Cumberland County, South Jersey: Millville vs. Vineland. Vineland leads 66-55-17, but, today, Millville triumphed for the 7th straight year, 21-0. Today's game was their 144th meeting. (Early in the 20th Century, they would play 2, sometimes even 3, times a season.

November 25, 1897: North Jersey's oldest high school football rivalry is 1st played, in Newark: Barringer vs. East Orange. They play at Newark City Schools Stadium, for a trophy known as The Left-Footed Kicker. They haven't always played on T-Day, due to their respective leagues' scheduling requirements.

November 24, 1898: The oldest rivalry west of the Mississippi River -- barely west of it -- is first played between schools in the St. Louis suburbs, 5 miles apart. And it could not be much closer, with Kirkwood leading Webster Groves 39-37-5.

If those numbers sound low for a rivalry that began in the 19th Century, it's because they haven't played every season. In the event that either school reaches the State Playoffs, the schools have an agreement that their junior varsities will play on Thanksgiving Day instead, to keep the tradition going. Kirkwood won today, 42-13.

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November 28, 1901: The longest-running high school football game in the South is first played, between Woodberry Forest School of Woodberry Forest, Virginia and Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia, outside D.C. Although 88 miles apart, it is still an intense rivalry known simply as The Game.

November 26, 1903: The 1st Harvard Cup is held, the championship of the City of Buffalo. The game was always held at All-High Stadium, before the Buffalo Public Schools joined the New York State Public High School Athletic Association after the 2009 season.

November 30, 1905: Xavier High School of Manhattan and Fordham Prep of The Bronx play New York City's Thanksgiving classic, officially named the Turkey Bowl. They played many games at the Polo Grounds, and then at Downing Stadium on Randall's Island. These days, when it's Xavier's turn to host, they play in Brooklyn at the Aviator Sports and Events Center at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. When it's Fordham Prep's, they play a few doors down at Jack Coffey Field on the Fordham University campus. Fordham Prep leads 47-36 as of 2009. Xavier won today, 15-13.

Also on this day, the annual cross-State, cross-river rivalry between Phillipsburg, New Jersey and Easton, Pennsylvania begins. Easton won the 1st game, 26-0, and leads the series 62-42-5. It's actually been broadcast live on ESPN a couple of times. They play at Fisher Stadium on the Easton campus of Lafayette College. Today, Easton won 26-0.

November 27, 1913: Stonington High School of Connecticut and Westerly High School of Rhode Island play for the 1st time. The game ends in a scoreless tie. Although across a State Line from each other, they are just 2.6 miles apart.

Stonington leads the overall rivalry 73-66-17. But if only T-Day games are counted (and you can be sure that this is how Westerly counts it), Westerly leads 45-43-9. Stonington won today, 25-0.

November 25, 1915: Abington Senior High School and Cheltenham High School, 3 miles apart in the suburbs north of Philadelphia, play each other for the 1st time. Abington leads 56-34-6. Future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Reggie Jackson was a senior in the 1963 game, leading Cheltenham to a 13-7 win. Cheltenham won today, 41-36.

November 29, 1917: East Boston and South Boston -- Eastie and Southie -- play each other for the 1st time. The game is held annually at White Stadium, which is well to the southwest of both schools. Eastie walloped Southie today, 41-8.

November 27, 1919: Loyola Blakefield School and Calvert Hall College, private schools in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland, begin playing what is now the oldest continuous Catholic high school football rivalry in America. It has often been held as a doubleheader with City vs. Poly at Municipal, Memorial and M&T Bank Stadiums, and is televised on WMAR-Channel 2. Loyola leads the series 49-39-8, but Calvert Hall won today, 6-0.

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November 25, 1920: The 1st Thanksgiving Day parade is produced, by Gimbel's department store in Philadelphia. Gimbel's went out of business in 1986, but the Philly parade is still held every year, and is billed as America's oldest Thanksgiving Day parade.

It features floats, balloons, marching bands (local and otherwise), and celebrities. It goes up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and ends at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Yes, the building whose steps Rocky Balboa always ran up.

The American Professional Football Association, which would become the National Football League in 1922, plays its 1st season's T-Day gaes. Only one of the games could be called a local rivalry,and the Akron Pros, led by back-head coach Fritz Pollard and end Paul Robeson, both black, defeat Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs 7-0.

The Dayton Triangles beat the Detroit Heralds 28-0. The Hammond Pros (who are an NFL team) lose to the Chicago Boosters (who are not) 27-0. The Rochester Jeffersons (who are an NFL team) lose to All-Tonawanda (who are not) 14-3. The Columbus Panhandles (who are an NFL team) and the Elyria Athletics (who are not) play to a scoreless tie.

And the Decatur Staleys beat the Chicago Tigers 6-0. An urban legend states that the stakes of this game was that the loser would leave the league. Actually, the evidence that the Tigers were even in the league is slim. But they played the next week, and then never played again. Meanwhile, the Staleys -- a "company team," or what English soccer fans would call a "works side," made up of employees of the Staley Starch Company -- move to Cubs Park (renamed Wrigley Field in 1926) the next season and become the Chicago Bears. The name lives on: Their mascot is named Staley Da Bear.

November 30, 1922: A vicious fight breaks out at Comiskey Park, and even Bears founder/owner/head coach/two-way end George Halas gets involved. The Chicago Cardinals win the crosstown rivalry 6-0.

November 27, 1924: New York's traditional parade begins with the 1st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every year, the parade begins at the American Museum of Natural History at 77th Street and Central Park West, turns down Broadway at 59th Street/Columbus Circle, turns down 7th Avenue at 45th Street/Times Square, and ends at 34th Street/Herald Square in front of Macy's headquarters store. The first float includes an animatronic turkey wearing a Pilgrim hat, and ends with Santa Claus, thus signifying the start of the holiday shopping season. Ho, ho, ho!

Also on this day, the San Francisco public high school championship is first held on Thanksgiving. It's played at Kezar Stadium. The old 49ers stadium was demolished in 1989 -- before the earthquake that interrupted that year's World Series -- and was replaced with a smaller facility that now hosts only high school sports.

November 26, 1925: Harold "Red" Grange, just 5 days past his last game for the University of Illinois, plays his 1st professional football game. That was within the rules at the time, as there was no NFL Draft, let alone restrictions connected to it.

November 25, 1926: Central Jersey's oldest rivalry is 1st played, Perth Amboy vs. Carteret. Perth Amboy won today, 18-7. Also, for the 1st time, an NFL game is played in New York City on a Thanksgiving Day. The New York Giants defeat the Brooklyn Lions 17-0 at Ebbets Field. The Lions will not play the 1927 season. The Giants will win the NFL Championship.

November 30, 1933: The New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers play each other in football on Thanksgiving Day. No, I'm not making that up: There was an NFL team in Brooklyn from 1930 to 1944. The Giants win 10-0.

The Giants had played the Staten Island Stapletons on T-Day from the Stapes' establishment in 1929 until they went out of business after the 1932 season, and would play the Dodgers through 1939. Aside from the New York Yanks -- officially "Yanks," not "Yankees" -- playing in Detroit in 1950, there would not be another New York team playing an NFL game on Thanksgiving until 1972, the Giants would not do so again until 1982, and no New York team would host another T-Day game until 2010.

November 29, 1934: Detroit Lions owner George Richards gets the NFL to schedule his team for Thanksgiving Day, against the defending NFL Champions, the undefeated Chicago Bears, with the greatest running back tandem ever, Red Grange (who is in his last season) and Bronko Nagurski. Richards owns a small radio network, and he thinks that, in this 1st season of Lions football in Detroit, this game can sell his team and his network.

It works, at least at the bank: The University of Detroit Stadium is sold out, 26,000 seats, and the listening audience is the biggest Richards has ever had. But the Bears win the game, 19-16. They do not, however, go undefeated, losing the NFL Championship Game to the Giants.

November 23, 1939: President Franklin D. Roosevelt moves Thanksgiving Day up. In this year that November had 5 Thursdays, he established the day as always the 4th Thursday in November. He thought an earlier Thanksgiving would produce more shopping time, thus helping both businesses and customers.

November 24, 1943: San Jose High School begins playing crosstown rival Abraham Lincoln High School on Thanksgiving. This is believed to be the only Thanksgiving high school football rivalry played west of Kirkwood and Webster Groves, Missouri. They play for the Big Bone, a cow femur donated by a butcher shop. Lincoln leads the series 38-24.

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November 24, 1960: The American Football League plays a Thanksgiving game in its 1st season. The New York Titans beat the Dallas Texans 41-35 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. By 1963, these teams would be known as the New York Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs, respectively.

November 23, 1961: The Titans host the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving, and win 21-14 at the Polo Grounds.

November 22, 1962: Sacking Bart Starr 11 times, the Lions hand the Green Bay Packers what turns out to be their only loss of the season, 26-14 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The Packers go 13-1 and then beat the Giants in the NFL Championship Game at Yankee Stadium.

November 28, 1963: For the 1st time, my alma mater, East Brunswick High School, in only its 3rd season of varsity football, plays on Thanksgiving. Jay Doyle, their 1st athletic director, wrestling coach and football coach (he remained AD and wrestling coach until his death in 1972, but gave up coaching football after the 1st 2 seasons) was from Long Island, where there isn't any tradition of playing on T-Day, and didn't want to play on the day. But the assassination of President John F. Kennedy the preceding Friday led to the postponement of the season finale against Sayreville, intended for the Saturday.

So the game was moved to Thanksgiving, and EB won, 13-12. We would not play on T-Day again until 1978, as pretty much every other school in Middlesex County was already locked into a Turkey Day rivalry. In 1978, we would begin playing Colonia High School of Woodbridge. More on that later.

November 24, 1966: The NFL wanted to add a 2nd game to Thanksgiving, to increase TV ratings. The only team, aside from the established Lions, who were willing to host it was the Dallas Cowboys. They beat the Cleveland Browns 26-14 at the Cotton Bowl, and a new tradition is born.

From this point onward, Detroit hosts the early game, 12:30 PM, because it would be before noon Dallas time. So Dallas hosts the 3:30 game. And, starting in 1970, after the NFL-AFL merger, since both Detroit and Dallas are in the NFC, CBS has the NFC games plus games where an AFC team hosts an NFC team, and NBC has the AFC games plus games where an NFC team hosts an AFC team, an AFC team, gets sent to either Detroit or Dallas every year. This held through the 2013 season, despite various network shifts and the addition of the 3rd game in 2006: Both last year (2014) and this year (2015), all 3 games have been an NFC team vs. another NFC team.

November 25, 1971: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma used to be a huge rivalry, before conference shifts split them up, and it was never bigger than on this Thanksgiving Day. Nebraska was ranked Number 1, Oklahoma was Number 2, and they met at Owen Field in Norman. In  seesaw battle, Nebraska won, 35-31. It was one of several college football games nicknamed "The Game of the Century."

This also marks the Cowboys' 1st Thanksgiving game at their new Texas Stadium. They win 28-21 over the Los Angeles Rams. They move into AT&T Stadium in 2009.

November 28, 1974: The last NFL game is played at Tiger Stadium. The Lions lose 31-27 to the Denver Broncos. Their remaining games this season will all be on the road. The next season, the Lions began playing out in the suburbs, at the Silverdome in Pontiac. They move back into the city in 2002.

At Texas Stadium, to which the Cowboys moved from the Cotton Bowl for 1971, Roger Staubach gets hurt, but backup Clint Longley steps into the quarterback role. With 35 seconds left, he throws a touchdown pass to Drew Pearson, and the Cowboys beat their arch-rivals, the Washington Redskins, 24-23.

Pearson had played at South River High School in New Jersey. Ironically, as a sophomore there, his quarterback was future Redskin Joe Theismann. South River played New Brunswick on Thanksgiving every year from 1919 to 1976, first at Neilson Field, and then at Rutgers Stadium. The schools still play each other, just not on T-Day.

But 1974 was also the first year that the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association played State Playoffs, and this would end up breaking up several longstanding rivalries.

November 27, 1975: The football version of the St. Louis Cardinals takes the place of the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, losing to the Buffalo Bills 32-14 at Busch Memorial Stadium.

In 1976, the Cards would visit the Cowboys, and the Cards would host again in 1977. But that was it: The Kirkwood-Webster Groves rivalry is king on Thanksgiving in eastern Missouri, and only twice more, both times in Dallas, would the Cards play on T-Day before moving to Arizona. Nor have the St. Louis Rams played on T-Day, either home or away, since moving from Los Angeles.

November 26, 1976: The Lions beat the Bills 27-14, but the Bills' O.J. Simpson rushes for 273 yards, a single-game NFL record (since broken).

November 22, 1984: East Brunswick needs to beat Colonia away to clinch its 1st-ever undefeated regular season, and its 1st Middlesex County Athletic Conference Championship in 12 years. But they trail 27-13 at the half, and between injuries and ejections after a fight, 3 key players are out.

The Bears come back, and score a touchdown in the last 30 seconds to win it, 33-27. It is often called the greatest game in EBHS' 55-season football history.

The next season's game gets postponed by rain, and EB will not play on T-Day again until 1994.

November 23, 1989: The Philadelphia Eagles crush the Cowboys 27-0 at Texas Stadium. The game is remembered as the Bounty Bowl, since it was alleged that head coach Buddy Ryan offered his defenders bonuses for knocking Cowboy players out of the game with injuries.

*

November 26, 1992: Alabama vs. Auburn, the Iron Bowl, is played at Legion Field in Birmingham. It is the last game as head coach for Auburn's Pat Dye, whom the NCAA had recently caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Alabama won 17-0.

November 25, 1993: Georgia plays Georgia Tech at Grant Field in Atlanta. Introducing the game on ABC, Keith Jackson says, "This is the day when the waistline takes a whuppin', and ancient rivalries are replayed." The Bulldogs-Yellow Jackets rivalry is known as "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate." Or, as Jackson said, as he so often did in games like this, "These two teams just... don't... like each other."

Indeed, as the 4th quarter began, Georgia led 16-10, but began to run up the score. They scored 4 touchdowns in the quarter. The 4th made it 43-10, and Bulldog coach Ray Goff ordered a 2-point conversion. The Jackets didn't like that, and a fight started. When order was restored, Tech stopped the 2-pointer, and the score held at 43-10.

But Turkey Day football was just getting warmed up. The Bears beat the Lions 10-6 at the Silverdome. And then, as snow fell on the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and got through the hole in the Texas Stadium roof and covered the field, the Miami Dolphins lined up for a late field goal, but it was blocked. Leon Lett, who tarnished an overwhelming Cowboy victory in the previous season's Super Bowl, actually costs the Cowboys the game this time, by trying to recover the blocked kick in the end zone. Except he can't handle it, the Dolphins pounce on it, and it's the winning touchdown: Miami 16, Dallas 14. CBS announcer Verne Lundquist says, "Not Leon Lett!" Yes, Leon Lett.

November 24, 1994: With the former high schools in Old Bridge, original school Madison Central and newer Cedar Ridge, reconsolidating after 25 years, a new Thanksgiving Day rivalry is formed with neighboring East Brunswick. EB wins the 1st-ever "Battle of Route 18," 33-18 at Old Bridge's Vince Lombardi Field. (Although he lived much of his life in New Jersey, the old Packer coach had no connection to the town. They just wanted to honor him.)

EB has played OB, under its previous names Madison Township (the town's name was changed in 1975) and Madison Central (the school's name change didn't follow that of the town) every season since 1963, OB's 1st season. From 1963 to 1974, EB led 9-1-2. From 1975 onward, OB leads 32-11, including 19-3 on Thanksgiving. Overall, OB leads 33-20-2. Old Bridge won today, 20-7.

Also on this day, 20 Thanksgivings after the Clint Longley Game, the Cowboys again needs a backup quarterback to fill in for an injured future Hall-of-Famer. Troy Aikman went down, and Jason Garrett stepped in. The Cowboys beat Brett Favre and the Packers 42-31.

November 26, 1998: The Lions and the Pittsburgh Steelers go to overtime. Referee Phil Luckett tells visiting Steeler captain Jerome Betts to call the coin as he tosses it in the air. Bettis starts to call heads, but stops himself and calls tails. Luckett goes with Bettis' aborted original call, and says the call was heads. The coin lands tails, the Lions get the ball, and kick a game-winning field goal without the Steelers even getting the ball back: Lions 19, Steelers 16.

The next season, the rule was changed: The captain is now required to call the coin before the toss. Another rule change means that a team can still win without giving the ball back if they score a touchdown, but not a field goal: If they kick a field goal, the team behind gets another chance.

November 23, 2006: The NFL goes to a 3-game schedule: Detroit in the 12:30 game, Dallas in the 3:30 game, and a 3rd game at 8:30, chosen for high ratings. The Lions lose to the Dolphins 27-10, the Cowboys beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-10, and the Chiefs beat the Broncos 19-10 at Arrowhead Stadium.

November 22, 2012: Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez runs headfirst into the rear end of one of his own linemen, and drops the ball. Against his team's arch-rivals, the New England Patriots. It's picked up and returned for a touchdown. Not that it mattered: The Pats won 49-19. But "The Butt Fumble" marked the end of Sanchez' tenure as Jets starting quarterback.

November 26, 2015: Lions 45, Eagles 14. Previously, the Eagles were 6-0 on Thanksgiving Day.

*

Most Thanksgiving games: Detroit 76, Dallas 48, Green Bay 36, Chicago 34, Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona 23, N.Y. Giants 14, Denver 11 (most of any AFC team), Kansas City 10.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in their 21st season, and have never played on Thanksgiving. The Carolina Panthers also came into the NFL in 1995, and are playing on Thanksgiving for the 1st time today, against the Cowboys. Houston, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati and New Orleans have also played on T-Day only once. The San Diego Chargers have not played on Turkey Day since 1969. The Rams, Browns and Bills have also not yet played on T-Day in the 21st Century.

Records:

1. Baltimore Ravens: 2-0, 1.000
2. New Orleans Saints: 1-0, 1.000
3. Houston Texans: 1-0, 1.000
4. Carolina Panthers: 1-0, 1.000
5. Philadelphia Eagles: 6-1, .857
6. Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts: 2-0-1, .833
7. Minnesota Vikings: 5-1, .833
8. Cleveland/Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams: 3-1, .750
9. Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans: 5-2, .714
10. Miami Dolphins: 5-2, .714
11. San Diego Chargers: 2-1-1, .625
12. Dallas Cowboys: 29-18-1, .615
13. New York Giants: 7-4-3, .607
14. New England Patriots: 3-2, .600

Teams playing on Thanksgiving and winning an NFL Championship in the same season:

1920 Akron Pros beat Canton Bulldogs 7-0
1921 Chicago Bears lose to Buffalo All-Americans 7-6
1922 Canton Bulldogs beat Akron Pros 14-0
1923 Canton Bulldogs beat Toledo Maroons 28-0
1924 Canton Bulldogs beat Milwaukee Badgers 53-10
1925 Chicago Cardinals tie Chicago Bears 0-0
1926 Frankford Yellow Jackets (Philadelphia) beat Green Bay Packers 20-14
1928 Providence Steam Roller beat Pottsville Maroons 7-0
1929 Green Bay Packers tie Frankford Yellow Jackets 0-0
1930 Green Bay Packers beat Frankford Yellow Jackets 25-7
1931 Green Bay Packers beat Providence Steam Roller 38-7
1932 Chicago Bears beat Chicago Cardinals 24-0
1933 Chicago Bears beat Chicago Cardinals 22-6
1934 New York Giants beat Brooklyn Dodgers 27-0
1935 Detroit Lions beat Chicago Bears 14-2
1938 New York Giants tie Brooklyn Dodgers 7-7
1948 Cleveland Browns beat Los Angeles Dons 31-14 (All-America Football Conference)
1949 Cleveland Browns beat Chicago Hornets 14-6 (AAFC)
1952 Detroit Lions beat Green Bay Packers 48-24
1953 Detroit Lions beat Green Bay Packers 34-15
1957 Detroit Lions beat Green Bay Packers 18-6
1961 Green Bay Packers beat Detroit Lions 17-9
1962 Green Bay Packers lost to Detroit Lions 26-14
1964 Buffalo Bills beat San Diego Chargers 27-24 (American Football League)
1965 Buffalo Bills tie San Diego Chargers 20-20 (AFL)
1967 Oakland Raiders beat Kansas City Chiefs 44-22 (AFL)
1969 Minnesota Vikings beat Detroit Lions 27-0
1969 Kansas City Chiefs beat Denver Broncos 31-17
1971 Dallas Cowboys beat Los Angeles Rams 28-21
1973 Miami Dolphins beat Dallas Cowboys 14-7
1992 Dallas Cowboys over New York Giants 30-3
1993 Dallas Cowboys lose to Miami Dolphins 16-14
1995 Dallas Cowboys over Kansas City Chiefs 24-12

According to Wikipedia, there are 13 men named Kenneth Johnson who are notable athletes. But one is an auto racer, and another is a professional wrestler, so it's really only 11 athletes.

I'm focusing on the most famous one, although what he's famous for is a little dubious.

Kenneth Travis Johnson was born on June 16, 1933 in West Palm Beach, Florida. A righthanded pitcher who stood 6-foot-4, weighed 230 pounds (making him huge for that era), and with an effective knuckleball, he was signed by the Philadelphia Athletics out of high school in 1952. But he was soon drafted into the U.S. Army to fight in the Korean War. When the war ended, he spent a year at the University of South Carolina, where he met Lynn Ergle, whom he married.

By the time he made his major league debut on September 13, 1958, they had moved to Kansas City. On that day, A's starter Jack Urban got rocked, so Johnson was brought out of the bullpen in the 1st inning. Wearing Number 27, he was no improvement, allowing 4 runs in 2 1/3rd innings, including a home run by light-hitting catcher (and ex-Yankee) Clint Courtney, and the A's lost to the Washington Senators, 8-5 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium.

The A's were going nowhere. (Actually, when Charlie Finley bought them in 1960, they were going a lot of places: Louisville, Dallas, Seattle. Finally, he settled on Oakland.) So, in 1961, they traded Johnson to the Cincinnati Reds, and, lo and behold, he was on a Pennant winner.

Wearing the Number 40 which he would wear for the majority of his remaining career, he went 6-2 with a 3.25 ERA for the Reds down the stretch, after going 0-4 with a 10.61 ERA for the A's to that point. He even got to pitch in the clinching game of the World Series. Okay, it was Game 5, and the Yankees won it 13-5, but, unlike his big-league debut, the defeat wasn't his fault: In the top of the 2nd, relieving Jim Maloney, who had already relieved Joey Jay, he got Elston Howard to line out to 3rd base, and got Moose Skowron to fly out to center. And his reward for pitching 2/3rds of perfect baseball in the World Series, against one of the best teams ever, the '61 Yankees? He got pinch-hit for and relieved. He never threw another postseason pitch.

*

In a span of just 5 months from May to October 1961, Ken Johnson went from one of the worst teams in baseball (the Kansas City A's) to a minor-league team (the Toronto Maple Leafs, for whom the hockey team was named) to a Pennant winner (the Cincinnati Reds) to another bad team. He was taken in the expansion draft, by one of the National League's new teams, the Houston Colt .45's. Hey, it could have been worse: He could have been taken by the Mets.

He went 7-16 for the expansion Colts in '62, and 11-17 in '63. On April 23, 1964, he was 2-0, and took the mound against his former team, the Reds, at Colt Stadium, which the Colt .45's used as a stopgap facility until their permanent stadium, the Astrodome, could be built next-door. The next year, it opened, and the name of the team was changed to the Houston Astros.

The Colts/Astros weren't very good in 1964, mainly because they were very young. They had a couple of solid veterans in future Hall-of-Famer Nellie Fox and 2-time batting champion Pete Runnels. But most of their players who turned out to be good ended up doing so later, and some for other teams: Joe Morgan, Jimmy Wynn, Jim Beauchamp, and future Met All-Stars Rusty Staub and Jerry Grote.

In contrast, the Reds had a very good team in 1964. The had Frank Robinson, future Hall-of-Famer; Vada Pinson, a multiple All-Star; Pete Rose, who would have made the Hall if he hadn't ignored baseball's warnings about gambling; Deron Johnson, an All-Star; Leo Cardenas, an All-Star; and Joe Nuxhall, once the youngest player in the game's history, now "The Old Lefthander," wrapping up what turned out to be a nicer career (1952-1965) than anyone could have imagined when he got smacked in his debut, not yet 16 years old (1944).

Nuxhall was the opposing pitcher that day, and he and Johnson traded goose eggs for 8 innings. Johnson walked a batter in the 1st inning, and walked another in the 5th, but those were the only 2 baserunners he'd allowed.

Nuxhall was effectively his equal, if less spectacularly. He allowed a single to Fox in the 1st, but he was caught stealing. He then walked Runnels, but stranded him. He allowed a single to Bob Aspromonte in the 2nd, but induced a double play to erase him. He allowed a single to Runnels in the 4th, but got another double play. In the 7th, he allowed a single to Fox, and there was no double play this time, as Cardenas made an error, allowing Runnels to reach. The Colts had men on 1st and 2nd with nobody out. Now, Nuxy got a double play, and a flyout to end it. He allowed a leadoff double to Wynn in the 8th, but retired the next 3 batters to keep it 0-0.

His wife Lynn, and sons Kenneth Johnson Jr. and Russell "Rusty" Johnson were at the game. "I knew it was close," Lynn said. "Every inning he would get them out. I was getting pretty nervous. Our youngest son, Rusty, wanted to go to the bathroom, and I wouldn't let him leave."

Nuxhall himself led off the top of the 9th with a groundout to 3rd. But Johnson hurt his own cause by throwing away a grounder that Rose had hit to him. Rose got to 2nd base. Johnson got Chico Ruiz to ground back to him, and he threw to 3rd to get Rose, but he was safe. Aspromonte, the Colts' 3rd baseman, then threw Ruiz out at 1st. Pinson then hit a grounder to 2nd, which should have been the 3rd and final out, completing the (word you can't say while one is in progress, for fear of jinxing the pitcher). But, of all players to make an error at this time, it was Fox, the team's earliest (though not 1st) Hall-of-Famer. Rose scored, and it was 1-0 Reds.

Johnson got Robinson to fly to left to end the inning, but the damage was done. The Colts weren't done, though: With 2 out in the bottom of the 9th, Runnels reached on an error by 1st baseman Johnson. (A born DH before there was a DH, Johnson would soon be replaced by Tony Perez, and the rest is history.) The tying run was on 1st, the winning run was at the plate, and maybe Johnson could win the game anyway. But the batter was the Houston right fielder, John Weekly, a man who lived up to his name with a .133 batting average at the time. Nuxhall struck him out looking to end it.

The totals on the ballgame: For the Reds, 1 run on no hits and 2 errors; for the Colt .45's, no runs on 5 hits and 2 errors. WP: Nuxhall (1-1). No save. LP: Johnson (2-1). Attendance on this Thursday night: 5,426. The time of the game, a brisk 1 hour and 56 minutes.

Ken Johnson had pitched a no-hitter, for a full 9 innings. And lost the game. This had never happened before, and has never happened since.

Fox, through tears, apologized to Johnson after the game. Runnels told him, "How many no-hitters were thrown last year? Who threw them? They'll remember yours."

For the record, 3 no-hitters were thrown in 1963, 1 by Johnson's own roommate, Don Nottebart, the 1st no-hitter in the history of the Houston franchise. So Runnels should have remembered. You might have heard of the guys who threw the other 2: Sandy Koufax of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Juan Marichal of the San Francisco Giants. Also throwing no-hitters in 1964 were Koufax, and Jim Bunning of the Philadelphia Phillies, who threw a perfect game against the Mets.

On July 1, 1990, Andy Hawkins of the Yankees pitched 7 no-hit innings against the Chicago Whit Sox at Comiskey Park. But the Yankees hadn't scored, either. In the 8th, he walked 3 batters, and his fielders made 3 errors. The Yankees lost the game 4-0, but, at first, Hawkins was credited with a no-hitter. After all, he had pitched a complete game without allowing a hit.

A year later, Major League Baseball made a ruling that a pitcher could only be credited with a no-hitter if he pitched all of a team's game, went at least 9 innings, and didn't allow a hit. In other words, if he pitched 9 no-hit innings, and was relieved in the 10th, no no-hitter. If he pitched 9 no-hit innings, and kept pitching, and his team eventually won, but if he allowed a hit in the 10th, the 11th, or whichever inning, he didn't get credit for the no-hitter -- not even if he kept going into the 19th inning, having effectively pitched 2 no-hitters in 1 day. Even if he pitched 9 perfect innings, he wouldn't get credit for the no-hitter or the perfect game unless his team won, he was the only pitcher they used, and he stayed hitless (or perfect).

Not only did Hawkins lose credit for his no-hitter (he had pitched 8 innings), but Harvey Haddix, who pitched 12 perfect innings in a 1959 game but lost it all in the 13th, lost credit for his perfect game.

During the commercial break between the 8th and 9th innings of the Andy Hawkins Game, I switched from WPIX-Channel 11 to WWOR-Channel 9, to see if the Mets' announcers were talking about what was happening at Comiskey. They were, and Ralph Kiner mentioned that only 1 pitcher had ever pitched a complete-game no-hitter and lost: "I think it's Ken Johnson." Tim McCarver confirmed: "It is Ken." I'd never heard of Johnson at that point, but you can be sure that the name has stuck with me in the 25 years since the Andy Hawkins Game, which I still have on videotape somewhere.

I don't know if Ken Johnson and Andy Hawkins ever met. If they didn't, it's too late now.

*

Colts owner Roy Hofheinz, a federal Judge and a former Mayor of Houston, gave Johnson a $1,000-a-year raise, equivalent to $7,672 now. He was invited to come to New York to appear on the TV game show I've Got a Secret.

He went 11-16 in that 1964 season, and on May 23, 1965, the Astros traded him, along with Beauchamp, to the Milwaukee Braves for Lee Maye. He ended up having his best season, going 16-10 with a 3.42 ERA. He moved with them to Atlanta in 1966, and went 14-8 that year and 13-9 the next.
But he only won another 7 games in the major leagues. He had particularly bad luck in 1969. Still with the Braves, they sold him to the Yankees on June 10. He wore Number 54 for them, later made famous by Hall-of-Famer Goose Gossage. Not only did Johnson not get to pitch for the Braves in the 1st-ever NL Championship Series that October, but he missed being in attendance at Mickey Mantle Day by 2 days. These were not Mickey's Yankees: These were the Yankees of Joe Pepitone, Bobby Murcer, Mel Stottlemyre, Fritz Peterson, a young Roy White, and 20 guys named Jerry Kenney. Then, on August 11, the Yankees gave up on Johnson, selling him to the Chicago Cubs, allowing him to be a part of their infamous September Swoon.

The Cubs released him just before the 1970 season began, but he was picked up mere hours later by the Montreal Expos. They released him 20 days and 3 games later, and his career was over: 91-106, ERA 3.46, ERA+ 102, WHIP 1.199. He was a good pitcher with bad luck, never more so than on that humid Thursday night in Houston, early in the '64 season.

*

After leaving baseball, he worked for Palm Beach Atlantic University in his hometown, and later coached at Louisiana College in Pineville, where he spent the rest of his days. After his coaching, he ran a nursing service for his local Baptist church.

And and Lynn 3 children: Sons Kenneth and Rusty, and daughter Janet Johnson. He would live to see 6 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

Kenneth Johnson Jr. is a doctor, and this past Wednesday, confirmed that his father had died in Pineville the preceding Saturday, November 21, 2015, of a kidney infection. He had also battled Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. He was 82 years old.

Unfortunately, I can't find a picture of him later than that Braves photo. Even more unfortunately, he was too ill to be honored by the Astros last year on the 50th Anniversary of his no-hitter. Nor could he be honored in Milwaukee this year on the 50th anniversary of the last Braves team in that city, or in Atlanta next year on the 50th anniversary of the first Braves team there. As far as I know, he was never invited back to any ballpark for any ceremony.

He deserved better than that. But at least his strange moment in baseball history is remembered. There have been 18,662 players to have played in at least 1 Major League Baseball game, and most of them end up being not particularly noteworthy.

"I pitched the best game of my life," Ken Johnson said at the time, "and still lost. A hell of a way to get into the record books."

Agreed. But he's in them. After all, if someone other than the man who had been the youngest player ever to appear in a big-league game (and later a beloved Reds broadcaster) had been the opposing starter, how well would we remember him?

But, in 2004, on the 40th Anniversary of his achievement, Johnson admitted to a local newspaper in Louisiana, "Instead of the notoriety, I’d rather have won the game."

Okay, this isn't scientific, but I checked 7 different online polls, to get as comprehensive as possible and weed out any outliers.

Note that I have listed all of these rivalries in alphabetical order. It has nothing to do with which team I like better, or with who has won this year's game, or with who has the better overall record, the better academics, the better mascot, the hotter cheerleaders, or anything else. It's alphabetical order, the simplest way to do it.

Regardless of whether a poll listed 10 teams, 25 teams, or any other number, I assigned the rivalry that finished 1st 25 points, 2nd 24, and so on. Matchups mentioned in a poll but did not make the cutoff in it got 1 point.

First, a few that got mentions, but didn't make the cut:

* Mentioned in 1 of the 7: Arkansas vs. Louisiana State (hereafter referred to as LSU), Auburn vs. Georgia, Baylor vs. Texas Christian, Colorado vs. Colorado State, Colorado vs. Nebraska, DePauw vs. Wabash, Florida State vs. Louisiana State, Georgia vs. South Carolina, Grambling State vs. Southern, Iowa vs. Iowa State, Kansas vs. Kansas State, Kansas vs. Missouri, LSU vs. Mississippi (hereafter referred to as Ole Miss), Maryland vs. West Virginia, Michigan State vs. Notre Dame, Ohio State vs. Pennsylvania State (hereafter referred to as Penn State), Penn State vs. Pittsburgh (hereafter referred to as Pitt), Texas A&M vs. Texas Tech.

* Mentioned in 2 of the 7: Alabama vs. LSU, Amherst vs. Williams, Florida vs. Tennessee, Kentucky vs. Louisville, Michigan vs. Notre Dame,  Nebraska vs. Oklahoma, Washington vs. Washington State.

* Mentioned in 3 of the 7: Alabama vs. Tennessee, Arizona vs. Arizona State, Georgia vs. Georgia Tech, Lafayette vs. Lehigh, Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State.

* Mentioned in 4 of the 7: Harvard vs. Yale (#5 in one of the polls), Michigan vs. Michigan State, Minnesota vs. Wisconsin, Pitt vs. West Vriginia, Texas vs. Texas A&M,

* Mentioned in 6 of the 7: Brigham Young vs. Utah, Clemson vs. South Carolina, Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss, Oregon vs. Oregon State.

You may have noticed some interesting names missing. If this were basketball, Kentucky vs. Louisville would be a lot higher. And you would likely see Duke vs. North Carolina, Indiana vs. Purdue, maybe Georgetown vs. St. John's or Connecticut vs. Syracuse. Although you wouldn't see Rutgers vs. Princeton: That died out as a serious rivalry long before anyone not at ARPA ever heard of the Internet. If it were hockey, Harvard vs. Yale, Michigan vs. Michigan State and Minnesota vs. Wisconsin would be higher; while Minnesota vs. North Dakota and Boston College vs. Boston University would be on the list. If it were wrestling, Iowa vs. Iowa State and Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State would be the top 2.

About any of these pairs of teams, you could use the line of the greatest of all college football announcers, ABC Sports' retired but still living legend, Keith Jackson: "These two teams just... don't... like each other!"

Top 10 College Football Rivalries

Note that every one of these games is played in late November, except where noted, and may even be playing today.

10. Florida vs. Florida State. Mentioned in 5 of the 7 polls, but still had more cumulative points than the 4 Honorable Mentions cited above that were mentioned in 6 of the 7. One of the more recent rivalries, as it didn't get noticed nationally until Bobby Bowden propped FSU up in the late 1970s. Part of a 3-way hate triangle with Miami (see below, although Florida vs. Miami didn't even make my first cut). Particularly in the 1990s, this was rough. Fights still happen on the field. Once, a fight happened even before the kickoff.

9. The University of California at Los Angeles vs. the University of Southern California, a.k.a. UCLA vs. USC. Mentioned in 5 of the 7 polls, but still had more cumulative points than the 4 Honorable Mentions cited above that were mentioned in 6 of the 7. This one isn't as big as it was, but it's still a classic, with spectacular uniforms (powder blue and gold vs. maroon and gold), great old stadiums (the Los Angeles Coliseum as home ground for USC, the Rose Bowl for UCLA), and one of the closest matchups (the campuses are just 14 miles apart).

8. Florida vs. Georgia. Mentioned in 5 of the 7 polls, but still had more cumulative points than the 4 Honorable Mentions cited above that were mentioned in 6 of the 7. "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party" has to be held on "neutral ground" at EverBank Field in Jacksonville (and, before that, at the previous stadium on the site, the Gator Bowl).

7. California vs. Stanford. Mentioned in 6 of the 7 polls, and probably only missed the 7th because that one only mentioned 6 rivalries. "The Big Game" between the East Bay school usually called "Cal" for sports and "Berkeley" for all other purposes, and the Peninsula school nicknamed "The Farm," is the best one on this list, academically speaking (although the students at the schools at #3 may dispute this). It's probably the one with the richest alumni (although those from he schools at #4 may dispute this). Put it this way: If the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders ever met in a Super Bowl, Cal vs. Stanford would still be a bigger game to people in the Bay Area.

6. Florida State vs. Miami. Mentioned in 6 of the 7 polls. Miami has fallen on hard times, or else this one could be higher. And, somehow, a Hurricanes game at the Dolphins' stadium out in the suburbs doesn't have the same kind of atmosphere as one at the Orange Bowl in the ghetto. Seminoles fans are fine with having the better atmosphere at Doak Campbell Stadium, and with having the better team the last few years. But in the 1990s, this game was every bit as big as FSU vs. the Gators.

5. Notre Dame vs. USC. Mentioned in 6 of the 7 polls. Held in mid-October when ND hosts in South Bend, Indiana, and on the Saturday after Thanksgiving when USC hosts in Los Angeles. The only real intersectional rivalry in college football, and between 2 of the biggies. There are people who don't like either team, for their successes and their arrogance, but they still watch.

The last 4 were the only ones mentioned in all 7 polls.

4. Oklahoma vs. Texas. Came in 3rd in one poll, and 4th in all the others. Held at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, as part of the Texas State Fair, every 2nd Saturday in October, but actually closer to the Sooners' campus in Norman than it is to the Longhorns' base in Austin. When rich Southern men who are not used to defeat go up against each other, well, I'm surprised there isn't usually shooting afterwards.

3. Army vs. Navy. Came in 1st in 2 polls, 2nd in another, 3rd in another, 4th in another, and 5th in the other 2.Always played at a neutral site, usually in Philadelphia, as it's roughly halfway between the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York vs. the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. (They've used Franklin Field, Municipal/John F. Kennedy Stadium, Veterans Stadium, and now Lincoln Financial Field.) They've also used the Meadowlands, Baltimore's new stadium, and the Washington Redskins' new stadium in recent years. The best one academically? Maybe. The one with the best pageantry? Possible. The one with the most respect for each other? Absolutely. One where each team's given record, now and historically, really doesn't matter? You bet your brass.

Based on my ratings system (25 points for 1st place in a poll, 24 for 2nd, and so on), the last 2 were very close: 170 to 168. If you put a gun to my head and told me to write down the top 10, and rank them, these would be the 1st 2 I would think of, in that order.

2. Alabama vs. Auburn. Came in 1st in 2 polls, 2nd in 3, 3rd in the other 2. For years, it had to be held on neutral ground at Legion Field in Birmingham, because they hate each other that much. The Iron Bowl has divided families, broken up marriages, and even led one angry Alabama fan to poison a pair of beloved trees in the town center of Auburn a few years back. And with both teams challenging for the National Championship the last few years, and each team having won it recently, it's as good (or as bad) as ever.

The Iron Bowl is easily the nastiest in-State rivalry. But the best one between one State and another, and the best one period, is this one, and that's far from just my choice:

1. Michigan vs. Ohio State. Came in 1st in 3 polls, 2nd in 3, and 3rd in the other. Michigan was the original dominant football school in the Midwest, and Ohio State coach Woody Hayes decided that he would do whatever it took to, to borrow a phrase from English football (soccer), knock them off their perch. He would never refer to his rival as "Michigan" or "The Wolverines," it was always "That School Up North" (which Buckeye fans now abbreviate to TSUN). When Bo Schembechler, who had played for him at Miami of Ohio and assisted him at Ohio State, became the Michigan coach, Buckeyes vs. Wolverines became known as The Ten-Year War (1969-78). Woody would hear that Bo was recruiting in Ohio, and he'd call up the State Police and say, "Close the border! Bo's in the State!" Paranoid? Al Davis of the Raiders had nothing on Woody.

Michigan would reassert its dominance, but when Jim Tressel was given the OSU job, he said his priority was not to win the National or Big Ten Championship, but to beat Michigan. Mission accomplished: Michigan has one just twice since he took over, even though he's now gone and former Florida maestro Urban Meyer is in charge.

You can fit nearly 100,000 fans in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, and over 110,000 fans in Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor. And getting tickets for this game can be filed under "Forget it." As with Harvard vs. Yale, this is known simply as "The Game."

The New Jersey Devils travel to play the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh next Thursday night, and go back on the day after Christmas. The 'Canes have given the Devils fits over the years, including in he Playoffs.

They didn't seem to do so from 1982 to 1997, when they were known as the Hartford Whalers. (They were the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1979, then were brought into the NHL and changed their name to the Hartford Whalers.) But as the 'Canes, yikes. That loss at home in Game 7 of the 1st Round in 2009, going from 3-2 up with 1:20 to go to losing 4-3 still sticks in my craw.

Needless to say, I don't like the Hurricanes. And hockey doesn't belong in the South, anyway. Y'all go back to Hartford, y'hear?

Before You Go. Being in the South, it's going to be warmer in Raleigh than in Newark. But, this being December, it won't be hot. For next Thursday, the Raleigh News & Observer is predicting mid-60s for daylight and mid-50s for night, and rain.

Charlotte is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to fiddle with your timepieces. It is in North Carolina, a former Confederate State, but you won't need your passport or to change your money.

Tickets. The Hurricanes averaged 12,594 fans per game last season. That's only 67 percent -- averaging 2/3rds full. In each case, they rank 29th, 2nd-worst, in the NHL, ahead of only the Florida Panthers. For the sake of comparison, the Whalers averaged 13,680 fans per game, or 87 percent of capacity, in their last season before the move. So tickets shouldn't be very hard to come by.

Tickets in the lower level, the 100 sections, are $140 between the goals and $100 behind them. In the upper level, the 300 sections, they're $60 between and $35 behind. Seats in the 200 section are club seats and only available to season-ticketholders.

Getting There. It’s 505 miles from the Prudential Center in Newark to the PNC Arena in Raleigh. It's in that tricky range: A bit too close to fly, a bit too far to go any other way.

If you're going to drive, take the New Jersey Turnpike/Interstate 95 all the way from New Jersey to Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Exit 138 will put you on Interstate 495/U.S. Route 64 West, and that will take you right into Raleigh. You’ll be in New Jersey for about an hour and a half, Delaware for 20 minutes, Maryland for 2 hours, inside the Capital Beltway (Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia) for half an hour if you’re lucky (and don’t make a rest stop anywhere near D.C.), Virginia for 3 hours, and North Carolina for an hour and a half. Throw in traffic at each end, rest stops, preferably in Delaware, near Richmond and near Raleigh, and it’ll be close to 12 hours.

Greyhound has 9 buses a day leaving from Port Authority to Raleigh, but only 3 of them are no-changeover routes. It costs as much as $263 round-trip (though it can be as low as $114 on advanced purchase). The trip takes 13 hours, including a long layover to change buses in Richmond. The station is at 2210 Capital Blvd., 3 miles northeast of downtown. Take the Number 1 or 3 bus in.

Founded in 1792, Raleigh is home to about 430,000 people, making it the 2nd-largest city in the State, behind Charlotte. The Raleigh-Durham area, known as the Triangle (or the "Research Triangle," to give it a tech-savvy nickname to suggest it's an East Coast version of the Silicon Valley) is home to a little over 2 million people. This ranks it 23rd among NHL markets, and would rank it 27th in the NBA, 29th in the NFL, and 30th and last in MLB, Don't expect it to ever get a team in the other markets, though.

The State House is the divider for addresses. The north-south divider is New Bern Avenue east of the State House, and Hillsborough Street west of it. The east-west divider is Halifax Street north of the State House, and Fayetteville Street south of it.

Capital Area Transit runs buses around Raleigh. The fare is $2.25. GoTriangle serves the Triangle region: Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. There is a light rail system being planned for the area, but it won't open before 2026.


Going In. The official address of the PNC Arena is 1400 Edwards Mill Road, at E. Stephen Stroud Way, about 5 miles west of downtown Raleigh. Stroud Way separates it from Carter-Finley Stadium, home field of the football team at North Carolina State University. NC State also uses PNC Arena as its basketball coach, succeeding Carter-Finley Arena, where it won National Championships in 1974 and 1983.

Parking is $15. If you're using public transportation, use Bus 100. That will get you to Blue Ridge Road at the State Fairgrounds, but then you'll have to make a left on Trinity Road to the stadium and the arena.

The rink is aligned northwest-to-southeast. The Hurricanes attack twice at the southeast end, the sections with 2 and 3 as the middle digit.

Food. This is the South, tailgate party country, and North Carolina is among the places in this country particularly known for good barbecue. Tailgating is usually not done before NHL games, but there are enough options to satisfy all but the most discriminating foodie.

A bar called The Locker Room is at Section 110. Pub 300 is at, no, not Section 300, but Section 312. North Carolina BBQ Company is at 104, 115, 123, 130, 306 and 326; The Carvery sandwiches and chips (potato chips, not what the British call thick-cut fries) at 104 and 123; Metro Deli at 104 and 326; Sausage Stop at 105, 120 and 304; Rituals Coffee Company at 105 and 120; Dos Bandidos pseudo-Mexican food at 112; South Street Cheese Steaks ("cheesesteak" is one word, guys) at 123 and 324; Fire It Up! Grill Stands (burgers, chicken, fries, onion rings, corn dogs) at 130 and 301;

For dessert, there's Nutty Bavarian at 101, 116 and 316; Gourment Pretzels (as if there is such a thing) at 103, 118 and 304; Breyes Ice Cream at 105, 110, 126, 309 and 329; Dippin' Dots at 105, 110, 120, 306 and 326; Sinfully Sinnamon at 110, 128 and 304; Twisted Waffle at 116 and 322; Poppin' Plants popcorn and cotton candy at 118, 124, 130 and 324.

Team History Displays. Despite having been around for only 18 seasons (17 if you don't count the canceled 2004-05), the do have some history, which they display with banners for their 2006 Stanley Cup; their 2002 and 2006 Eastern Conference titles; and their 1999, 2002 and 2006 Division Championships.

Their retired number history is complicated. When the Whalers moved to Carolina to begin the 1997-98 season, the previously retired Number 2 for Rick Ley (defenseman, 1972–1981) and Number 19 for John McKenzie (right wing, 1977–79) were returned to circulation. The Hurricanes have never issued Number 9, which Gordie Howe wore with the Whalers, and consider it unofficially retired, as there is no banner to recognize it.

Number 2 has been retired anyway, for defenseman Glen Wesley (1994-2008, 1997-2008 in Carolina). Number 10 is retired for Ron Francis (center, 1981-91 in Hartford, 1998-2004 in Carolina, and now the team's general manager). Number 17 is retired for Rod Brind'Amour (center, 2000-10).

Steve Chiasson (defenseman, 1996-99, 1997-99 in Carolina) was killed in a car crash in 1999. The 'Canes have not reissued his Number 3. But they can't retire it, because he was driving drunk.

Hockey is not exactly a glamour sport in the South. In North Carolina in particular, it trails basketball, football and NASCAR (which, of course, is not a sport). So there haven't been many books written about the 'Canes. And, since hurricanes frequently hit the Carolinas (hence the name of the team), if you type "Carolina Hurricanes" into Amazon.com, you get books about local storms.

Erin Butler recently published the Hurricanes' edition in the Inside the NHL series. And after the 2006 Stanley Cup, the sports staff of the News & Observer published a commemorative book, titled Whatever It Takes.

Commemorative DVD sets were produced for the 2006 Cup and the team's 10th Anniversary in 2007, but that's about it as far as videos go.

During the Game. Unless you're going to a basketball game between Duke University and the University of North Carolina -- especially at Duke -- North Carolina fans, in any sport, don't have a rough reputation. Your safety is unlikely to be an issue.

Amanda Bell is the regular National Anthem singer for the 'Canes. Their fans haven't yet come up with a chant more imaginative than "Let's go, 'Canes!" Their theme song is "Noise" by the Chris Hendricks Band. Their goal song is "Song 2" by Blur (a.k.a. "Whoo Hoo"), and, according to actor Liam Neeson, who, despite being from Northern Ireland, is a big hockey fan, the 'Canes have "the manliest goal horn in the league."

Their mascot is Stormy the Ice Hog. Fortunately, he's not a wild boar, a warthog, or even a Razorback hog like the University of Arkansas' mascot. He's a friendly-looking brown pig, whose jersey has Number 97 in honor of the year the team moved to North Carolina.
After the Game. Unlike Charlotte, whose sports facilities are now all downtown, Raleigh's arena and football stadium are in a suburban part of town, 2 islands in a sea of parking. Crime should not be an issue: Most likely, you will be safe, and if you drove in, so will your car.

But this setup also means you'll have a bit of a walk back to public transportation, and to any place serving late-night food and/or drinks. Backyard Bistro is across Trinity Road from the complex, and there's a Wendy's at Trinity Road and Edwards Mill Road. If those aren't good enough for you, you may have to head back downtown.

Downtown Sports Bar in Raleigh is the home of a local Giants fan club. It's at 410 Glenwood Avenue at Anwood Place. There are 2 places worth mentioning just off the N.C. State campus. Amadeo's Italian Restaurant is the home of a local Jets fan club. It's at 3905 Western Blvd. at Whitmore Drive. Fuhgeddaboudit Pizza, at 2504 Hillsborough Street and Horne Street, is said to be covered in various items of New York memorabilia. If you're looking for someplace in Durham or Chapel Hill -- in case you, or a relative or friend, is going to Duke in the former or UNC in the latter -- I'm afraid I came up dry looking for references to such places.

Sidelights. Charlotte's sports history, at least at the major league level, isn't much, and Raleigh's is even less than that.

* Carter-Finley Stadium. After playing football at Riddick Stadium from 1907 to 1965 (demolished in 2005), North Carolina State moved into Carter Stadium in 1966. It was originally named for brothers Harry C. Carter and Wilbert J. "Nick" Carter, N.C. State graduates and major financial contributors. Albert E. Finley, another big contributor, had his name added in 1979. The playing surface is now named for yet another contributor: Wayne Day Family Field.

Currently seating 57,583, the N.C. State Wolfpack have won 3 Atlantic Coast Conference football titles there, in 1968, 1973 and 1979. This is in addition to the 8 titles they won in their various leagues at Riddick Stadium, for a total of 11: 1907, 1910, 1913, 1927, 1957, 1963, 1964 and 1965. Those last 3 conference titles provided the revenue for the building of a new stadium, to replace the obsolete Riddick. It features a display of 10 retired numbers, including current NFL quarterbacks Philip Rivers (17) and Russell Wilson (16), and former New York Jet Dennis Byrd (77 for them, 90 for the Jets).

It was also home to what's been called the worst team in the history of professional football: The Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks of the World League of American football. Their red, kelly green, black and white uniforms, and their jets in formation leaving vapor trails helmet logo, were weird enough. Their cheerleaders, tapping into the aviation theme and the Wright Brothers' first flight in the Outer Banks in 1903, were named the Kittyhawks. Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn owned them, and Roman Gabriel, another N.C. State quarterback whose number has been retired (18), was their head coach.

But even with Shinn's money, Gabriel as head coach, and former pro quarterback Johnnie Walton and eventual Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Claude Humphrey as offensive and defensive coordinators, they went 0-10 in a weak league (the WLAF was nicknamed "The Laugh League") in the 1991 season. And, with no beer sold, they averaged just 12,066 fans per home game. (Even the Hurricanes can usually top that.) The team was moved to Columbus for the 1992 season and renamed the Ohio Glory.

Carter-Finley Stadium hosted a summer tour soccer game between Italy's Juventus and Mexico's C.D. Guadalajara (a.k.a. "Chivas") in 2011. It has also hosted concerts by Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, U2 and, just this past summer, the Rolling Stones. 4600 Trinity Road at Youth Center Drive, separated from the PNC Arena by Stephen Stroud Way.

According to an article in the September 2014 issue of The Atlantic, as you might guess, the Charlotte-based Carolina Panthers, just 168 miles from the State House, are the most popular NFL team not just in Charlotte and in the Raleigh-Durham area, but in the entire State of North Carolina. However, both Carolinas have significant pockets of support for the Washington Redskins, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys, mainly due to the media saturation (and, in the Redskins' case, proximity is also a cause). In particular, these teams tend to cancel out Panther support in the ocean resort communities, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and at Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head in South Carolina.

* Reynolds Coliseum. Home to N.C. State basketball from 1949 to 1999, the William Neal Reynolds Coliseum (named for the former chief executive of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and brother of R.J. himself) hosted the Wolfpack teams that won the National Championship in 1974 and 1983, reached the Final Four in 1950, and won the ACC title in the regular season in 1950, '51, '53, '55, '56, '59, '73, '74, '85 and '89; and in the tournament in 1950, '51, '52, '54, '55, '56, '59, '65, '70, '73, '74, '83 and '87. (They haven't won either since moving into the new arena.)

The Coliseum was the home of the ACC Tournament from 1954 to 1966, and has hosted many NCAA Tournament games, and still hosts them for the women's tournament. It remains the home for N.C. State women's basketball and wrestling. It is currently undergoing a renovation that is scheduled to be completed next August, providing more space for offices and a school Athletic Hall of Fame, but also reducing the seating capacity from 9,500 to 5,600. 2411 Dunn Avenue at Jeter Drive (not named for Derek Jeter), next door to the Talley Student Union.

* Five County Stadium. Home to the Carolina Mudcats since 1991, the original owner wanted to get as close to downtown Raleigh as possible without infringing on the territory of any other team, including the Greensboro Hornets, which he also owned. Zebulon was as close as the Durham Bulls would let him get.

The Mudcats won Pennants in the Class AA Southern League in 1995 and 2003, but have not won one since moving to the Class A Carolina League in 2012. Ironically, where they were once higher in classification than the Bulls, they are now lower. 1501 State Highway 39 at Old U.S. 264, 26 miles east of the State House. Accessible by car only: No public transportation out there.

* Durham Athletic Park. Made famous by the 1988 film Bull Durham, which jump-started the minor-league baseball craze of the late 20th Century, the Durham Bulls played at the site of "The DAP" from 1926 until 1994 (with a rebuild in 1939-40 after a fire), mostly in the Class A Carolina League. Having already won Pennants in 1924 and '25, they won them at The DAP in 1929, '30, '40, '41, '57, '65 and '67.

The film, which takes place in 1987, the year before it was released (a fact confirmed by the calendar in the manager's office), gives the impression that they weren't very good, and hadn't been for a long time, but got to 1st place by the 4th of July, and then faltered. In real life, they went 67-75 that season, But they did have 6 players who went on to reach the major leagues: Kevin Brown, Kent Mercker, Mark Lemke, Derek Lilliquist, Gary Eave and Rusty Richards. Not bad for a Single-A team that was 8 games under .500. Then again, this was before their parent club, the Atlanta Braves, got good again in 1991, so they needed whatever help they could get. But Mercker and Lemke were a part of the Braves' quasi-dynasty.

The film made The DAP the most famous minor-league ballpark ever. But the park became a victim of the film's success: Soon, people came flocking to it, and its 5,000-seat capacity was now obsolete. A new ballpark was built, but the old one was left standing, and is still used for local baseball.

428 Morris Street. Unlike the Mudcats' home, The DAP can be reached by public transit from Raleigh. Take Bus 100 to the Regional Transit Center, then switch to Bus 700, and take that to the Durham Amtrak station. Then Bus 4 or a short walk.

* Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The DBAP (pronounced DEE-bap) has been home to the Bulls since 1995, and since 1998 they've been the Triple-A farm team of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Bulls have won International League Pennants there in 2002, '03, '09 and '13, making a total of 13 Pennants in various leagues at various levels.

Although it seats twice as many, 10,000, the Bulls tried to make it as much like the old DAP as possible, including the 305-foot right-field fence, nicknamed the Blue Monster, complete with the famous bull "HIT SIGN WIN STEAK" sign that was erected for the movie and kept. Even the overhanging roof, although up to public safety code, looks pretty much the same. 409 Blackwell Street at Willard Street, a 5-minute walk from the train station.

According to an article in the April 24, 2014 edition of The New York Times, the Yankees are the most popular MLB team in the Triangle, averaging around 26 percent, with the Boston Red Sox at 20 and the Atlanta Braves at around 12. That's almost totally due to the media outreach, since the Braves are easily the closest team, 265 miles away.

* Duke University. As with the Durham ballparks, reachable by taking Bus 100 to the Regional Transit Center and transferring to Bus 700. Cameron Indoor Stadium, opening in 1940 and thus celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year, is at 115 Whitford Drive. Wallace Wade Stadium, opening in 1929, is next door. 27 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh, up U.S. Route 70.

* The University of North Carolina. About 28 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh, but in a slightly different direction, on Interstate 40. The Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center, a.k.a. the Dean Dome (where they've won National Championships in 1993, 2005 and 2007), is at 300 Skipper Bowles Drive. It's just 11 miles between the Dean Dome and Cameron. The old arena, Carmichael Arena, where the Tar Heels played from 1965 to 1986 (and won the National Championship in 1982), is at 310 South Road. Woollen Gymnasium, where they played from 1937 to 1965 (and won the National Championship in 1957), is also at South Road. And Kenan Memorial Stadium, home to Tar Heel football since 1927, is at 104 Stadium Drive.

According to an April 23, 2014 article in The New York Times, the Yankees are actually the most popular MLB team in Charlotte, a little bit ahead of the Atlanta Braves, the closest team at 244 miles away. (The Washington Nationals are the next-closest, 402 miles.)

The U.S. national soccer team only played 1 game in the Triangle, a 1-1 draw with Jamaica in 2006, at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, about 8 miles west of the State House.

Museums. The North Carolina Museum of History and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences are next-door to each other, across Edenton Street from the State House.

The Beatles never performed together in the Raleigh-Durham area, although Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have done so on solo tours. Elvis Presley only did so early in his career, all in Raleigh (never in Durham or Chapel Hill), at the Memorial Auditorium on May 19 and September 21, 1955; and a whopping 4 shows in 1 day at the Ambassador Theater on February 8, 1956. The Memorial Auditorium is now the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, at 2 E. South Street, 7 blocks south of the State House. The Ambassador is at 115 Fayetteville Street, just south of the State House, but was demolished in 1989.

PNC Plaza, at 538 feet, is the tallest building in Raleigh, and the tallest building in the Carolinas outside of Charlotte.

Bull Durham was filmed almost entirely in Durham and other North Carolina minor-league towns. Mitch's Tavern, site of the bar scenes near the beginning and the end of the film, is still in business, at 2426 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh. Other movies filmed in the area include The Handmaid's Tale (which used Duke University for some location shots) and Brainstorm (Natalie Wood's last film, which also did some filming at Duke).

A few TV shows have been filmed in North Carolina, most notably Dawson's Creek in Wilmington. But shows set in Raleigh are few and far between. The Andy Griffith Show, set in fictional Mayberry and based on Griffith's real-life hometown of Mount Airy, mentioned Raleigh a few times, but was filmed in Southern California. A statue of Griffith and Ron Howard as Sheriff Andy Taylor and his son Opie was dedicated by television network TV Land. It depicts them walking down the fishing trail, as seen in the show's famous opening. Unfortunately, the fishing poles the figures hold are frequently swiped. Pullen Park, near the carousel. 408 Ashe Avenue, a mile and a half west of downtown. The 100 bus gets you about halfway there. A copy of the statue stands outside the Andy Griffith Museum at 218 Rockford Street in Mount Airy, 139 miles to the northwest, near the Virginia State Line. Pilot Mountain (known on the show as Mount Pilot) is 16 miles southeast of Mount Airy.

*

The Raleigh-Durham Triangle isn't really big enough -- yet -- for a major league sports team. And the Carolinas are certainly no place for hockey. But, for better or for worse, the Hurricanes are there, and they have a Stanley Cup and are a perennial Playoff team. Maybe the Devils can show the fans down there -- the ones who show up, anyway -- what a real hockey team looks like.

The New York Red Bulls almost pulled off a miracle last night. But you know what they say: "Almost" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades."

For the 2nd time in 3 seasons, they won Major League Soccer's Supporters' Shield, for having the best overall record in the regular season. In any other soccer league on the planet, this would have made them League Champions.

Not in MLS. Because it's a North American league, they have Playoffs. And, just as in 2013, the Red Bulls went out in the Conference Finals.

They let the Columbus Crew score on them 9 seconds -- not minutes -- into the 1st Leg, and allowed another in stoppage time, and failed to score a vital away goal, and went into last night's 2nd Leg at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey trailing 2-0.

In other words, they had to win 2-0 just to send the game to extra time. A 3-1 win would have been no good: That would have made it 3-3 on aggregate, and 1-0 to Columbus on away goals.

It took until the 3rd minute of a 4-minute stoppage time for Metro to get a goal, from Anatole Abang. For a moment, the fans -- the ones who hadn't left early, that is -- had reason to hope for a miracle.

But in the 95th minute, necessary because of the goal, Bradley Wright-Phillips hit the post, and that was it.

How much woodwork would a Red Bull work, if a Red Bull could work woodwork?

The game ended 1-0 to the Jersey Boys, but 2-1 to the Ohioans on aggregate. They advance to next Sunday's MLS Cup Final, where they will host the Portland Timbers.

The Red Bulls, founded as the New York/New Jersey MetroStars, have ended their 20th season, and have still never won the MLS Cup.

They will always let you down.

*

It's been a while since I did a countdown, so here goes:

Days until the Devils next play a local rival: 4, this Friday night, against the Philadelphia Flyers, a.k.a. The Philth, at home, at the Prudential Center in Newark. The Devils next play the New York Islanders on Sunday afternoon, December 13, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn; and the New York Rangers, a.k.a. The Scum, on Tuesday night, February 2, at home.

Days until Arsenal play again: 5, this Saturday morning (our time), home to North-East club Sunderland. Arsenal played a lousy 0-0 draw with Norfolk club Norwich City yesterday, setting the tone for the Red Bulls match.

Days until the next North London Derby: 96, on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at White Hart Lane. Depending on British TV coverage, this game may be moved to the following day.

Days until the Red Bulls play again: As yet unknown, but they usually open the season on the 3rd Sunday in March, which would be March 20, 2016, which would be 111 days.

Days until the Red Bulls play another derby: Unknown when they will again play New York City F.C., the Philadelphia Union, D.C. United or the New England Revolution.

Days until the Yankees play again: 126, on Monday, April 4, 2016. A little over 4 months.

Days until the next Yankees-Red Sox series: 144, on Friday, April 22, 2016.

Days until the Copa América Centenario kicks off: 187, on June 3, 2016.

Days until Euro 2016 in France kicks off: 194, on Friday, June 10, 2016.

Days until the next Yankees-Mets series: 247, on Monday, August 1, 2016. It will be played over 4 days, 2 at Citi Field, then 2 at Yankee Stadium II.

Days until the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 251, on Friday, August 5, 2016.
Days until Rutgers plays football again: 278, on Saturday, September 3, 2016, away to the University of Washington.

Days until East Brunswick High School plays football again: 284, on Friday, September 9, 2016, opponent to be determined. Yes, we lost the Thanksgiving game against the Purple Bastards, again, this time 20-7 at home.

Days until the next World Cup of Hockey begins: 292, on Saturday, September 17, 2016. All games will be played at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.

Days until the next East Brunswick-Old Bridge Thanksgiving game: 359, on November 24, 2016, at the Shithole.

Days until Alex Rodriguez' contract runs out: 702, on October 31, 2017. Seriously: 1 World Championship in 12 seasons is better than many teams have done, but it is not acceptable for the New York Yankees, and he has failed us and embarrassed us too many times. If Brian Cashman grows a pair and buys him out before then, it will be the best thing for the Yankees.

Days until the 2018 World Cup in Russia: 928, on June 14, 2018. Hopefully, the U.S. national team will have fired Jurgen Klinsmann and hired a real manager by that point.

The Devils visit the Toronto Maple Leafs a week from tonight, and again on Thursday, February 4.

Being in a foreign country has its particular challenges -- and, yes, for all its similarities to America, Canada is still a foreign country.

Before You Go. Make sure you call your bank and tell them you’re going. After all, Canada may be an English-speaking country, and a democracy (if a parliamentary one), and a country with a Major League Baseball team, but it is still a foreign country. If your bank gets a record of your ATM card making a withdrawal from any country other than the U.S., it may freeze the card, and any other accounts you may have with them. So be sure to let them know that you will, in fact, be in Canada for a little while.

And, since June 1, 2009, you need a passport to cross the border in either direction. Even if you have a valid driver’s license (or other State-issued ID) and your birth certificate, they ain’t lettin’ you across into the True North Strong and Free. Not even if you’re a Blue Jays season-ticket holder living in Buffalo or if you sing hosannas of praise to Wayne Gretzky. You don’t have a passport? Get one. You do have one? Make sure it’s valid and up to date. This is not something you want to mess with. Canadian Customs officials do not fuck around: They care about their national security, too.

Do yourself another big favor: Change your money before you go. There are plenty of currency exchanges in New York City, including one on 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenue.

Leave yourself $50 in U.S. cash, especially if you’re going other than by plane, so you’ll have usable cash when you get back to your side of the border. At last check, on the night of November 29, 2015, US$1.00 = C$1.34 – or, C$1.00 = US 75 cents. However, since the currency exchanges need to make a profit, the current rate may come close to actually favoring Canada.  (I was actually in Canada on the day when it most favored the U.S.: January 18, 2002, $1.60 to $1.00 in our favor.)

The multi-colored bill were confusing on my first visit, although we have those now, too. The $5 is blue, and features Wilfrid Laurier (Prime Minister 1896-1911). The $10 is purple, and features John A. Macdonald (the 1st Prime Minister, 1867-1873 and again 1878-1891, essentially he’s their George Washington without having fought a war for independence). The $20 is green, and features the nation’s head of state, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II. The $50 is red, and features William Lyon Mackenzie King (the longest-serving Prime Minister, 1921-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1948, including World War II). And the $100 is yellow, and features Robert Borden (Prime Minister 1911-1920, including World War I).

The tricky part is going to be the coins – and you’ll thank me for telling you this, but keep your U.S. coins and your Canadian coins separate, for the simple reason that their penny, nickel, dime and quarter are all the same colors and just about the same size as our respective coins. (To make matters more confusing, as we recently did with our States, they had a Provincial quarter series.)

All coins have Queen Elizabeth’s portrait on the front, but she’s been Queen since 1952, and depending on how old the coin is, you might get a young woman, or her current 87-year-old self, or anything in between. You might even get a penny or a nickel old enough to feature her father, King George VI. Such a coin is still legal tender, however.

They have a $1 coin, copper-colored, bigger than a quarter, and 11-sided, with a bird on the back. This bird is a loon – not to be confused with the people lunatic enough to buy Maple Leafs season tickets. The coin is thus called the “loonie,” although they don’t say “ten loonies”: They use “buck” for “dollar” the way we would.  In fact, the term is connected to Canada: Their first English settlers were the Hudson’s Bay Company, and they set the value of a dollar to the price of the pelt of a male beaver, the male of the species being called, as are those of a deer and a rabbit, a buck. (And the female, a doe.) The nation’s French-speakers (Francophones) use the French word for loon, and call it a “huard,” but since the Montreal Expos are gone, you probably won’t hear that term unless you’re a hockey fan and go to see the Rangers, Devils or Islanders in Montreal – or maybe Ottawa, which is on the Ontario-Quebec border and has a lot of French-first-speakers.

Then there’s the $2 coin, or “toonie.” It’s not just two dollars, it’s two-toned, and even two-piece. It’s got a copper center, with the Queen on the front and a polar bear on the back, and a nickel ring around it. This coin is about the size of the Eisenhower silver dollars we used to have. This is the coin that drives me bonkers when I’m up there.

My suggestion is that, when you first get your money changed before you begin your trip, ask for $1 coins but no $2 coins. It’s just simpler. I like Canada a lot, but their money, yikes, eh?

This is Canada, the Great White North, so, being April, it may still feel like winter, especially if the wind is blasting off Lake Ontario. In which case the Rogers Centre roof will be likely to be closed. So you should pack a winter jacket. If you're going from May onward, even in late September, it will probably be warm enough to not bring any jacket, but bring a light one just in case.

According to the Toronto Star website, there's going to be rain next Tuesday. The temperature will be in the mid-40s in the afternoon and the mid-30s at night, so bring a winter coat.

Toronto is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to reset your watch or fiddle with your smartphone's clock.

Tickets. The Maple Leafs averaged 19,062 fans per game last season, a sellout every game. Supposedly, they haven't played to an unsold seat since World War II, 70 years ago. Of course, they haven't reached the Stanley Cup Finals since 1967, 48 years ago, so what does that tell you about the people who show up? It tells me that it's idiots who are making tickets hard to come by.

But some tickets will be available. As the Leafs' website says:
As for ticket prices, expect them to be freakin' expensive, due to the law of supply and demand. Remember also that they will be listed in Canadian dollars, so they won't be as bad as they first appear, but they should be bad enough. Consider that, in the same arena, Toronto Raptors tickets go for C$265 between the baskets and C$116 behind them. In the upper level, however, they're much cheaper: C$45 between the baskets and C$30 behind them. With Leafs tickets in greater demand, figure these prices will be higher. If you want to try for a scalper, they'll be even higher, but, presuming you are ready, willing and able to pay, you may have a better selection.

Getting There. The best way is by plane. (Note that these prices, unlike the preceding, will be in U.S. dollars.) Air Canada runs flights out of Newark Liberty, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia International Airport, and the flight to Toronto's Lester Pearson International Airport takes about an hour and a half.  Book on Air Canada today, while they're having a sale, and you can get a round-trip flight for under $300, making this one of the cheapest roadtrips-by-plane in North America.

Greyhound runs 8 buses a day from Port Authority Bus Terminal to the Toronto Coach Terminal, at 610 Bay Street. (Countries in the British Commonwealth, including Canada, call a local bus a bus and an inter-city bus a “coach.”) The ride averages about 11 hours, and is $166 round-trip -- although an advance purchase can drop it to $90.

The TCT is big and clean, although a little confusing, as it seems to be two separate buildings. You shouldn’t have any difficulties with it. It's one block down Bay to Dundas Street, and turn left to get to the Dundas subway station.
Amtrak, however, runs just 1 train, the Maple Leaf, in each direction each day between New York and Toronto, in cooperation with Canada’s equivalent, VIA Rail. This train leaves Pennsylvania Station at 7:15 AM and arrives at Union Station at 7:42 PM, a trip of 12 hours and 22 minutes – 9:10 of it in America, 32 minutes of it at Customs (4:25 to 4:57 PM) and 2:45 of it in Canada. The return trip leaves Toronto at 8:20 AM, reaches the border at 10:22, and gets back to Penn Station at 9:50 PM. Round-trip fare is $248. Be advised, though, that this is one of Amtrak's most popular routes, and it could sell out.
Toronto’s Union Station, at 65 Front Street West, is one of the world’s great rail terminals, and is the heart of the city. It's the centerpoint of the city's subway system, so it's not just in the heart of the city.
If you’re driving, it’s 500 miles – well, 492 miles from Times Square to downtown Toronto. Get into New Jersey to Interstate 80, and take it all the way across the State. Shortly after crossing the Delaware River and entering Pennsylvania, take I-380, following the signs for Scranton, until reaching I-81. (If you’ve driven to a game of the Yankees’ Triple-A farm team, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, you already know this part.) Take I-81 north into New York State. (If you’ve driven to a game of the Mets’ Double-A farm team, the Binghamton Mets, you already know this part.) Continue on I-81 past Binghamton and to Syracuse, where you’ll get on the New York State Thruway, which, at this point, is I-90. Continue on the Thruway west, past Rochester, to Buffalo.

What happens next depends on where you cross the border. But first, let’s discuss what you should do when you're actually at the border. Because you need to take this seriously. Because Canadian Customs will.

You'll be asked your citizenship, and you'll have to show your passport and your photo ID. You'll be asked why you're visiting Canada. Seeing a Yankees vs. Blue Jays game probably won't (but might) get you a smart-aleck remark about how the Jays are going to win, but they won't keep you out of their country based on that alone.

If you're bringing a computer with you (counting a laptop, but probably not counting a smartphone), you don't have to mention it, but you probably should. Chances are, you won't be carrying a large amount of food or plants; if you were, depending on how much, you might have to declare them.

Chances are, you won't be bringing alcohol into the country, but you can bring in one of the following items duty-free, and anything above or in addition to this must have duty paid on it: 1.5 litres (53 ounces) of wine, or 8.5 litres (300 ounces or 9.375 quarts) of beer or ale, or 1.14 litres (40 ounces) of hard liquor. If you have the slightest suspicion that I'm getting any of these numbers wrong, check the Canada Customs website. Better yet, don't bring booze in. Or out.

As for tobacco, well, you shouldn't use it. But, either way over the border, you can bring up to 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars, and 200 grams (7 ounces) of manufactured tobacco. As for the embargo against Cuban cigars, this past January, President Obama loosened it, so that $100 worth of Cuban tobacco can be brought into the U.S. for the first time since 1962. 

If you've got anything in your car (or, if going by bus or train) that could be considered a weapon, even if it's a disposable razor or nail clippers, tell them. And while Canada does have laws that allow you to bring in firearms if you're a licensed hunter (you'd have to apply for a license to the Province where you plan to hunt), the country has the proper attitude concerning guns: They hate them. They go absolutely batshit insane if you try to bring a firearm into their country. Which, if you're sane, is actually the sane way to treat the issue.

You think I'm being ridiculous? How about this: Seven of the 44 U.S. Presidents -- 9 counting the Roosevelts, Theodore after he was President and Franklin right before -- have faced assassins with guns, 6 got hit and 4 died; but none of the 23 people (including 1 woman) to serve as Prime Minister of Canada has ever faced an assassination attempt. John Lennon recorded "Give Peace a Chance" in Montreal and gave his first "solo concert" in Toronto, but he got shot and killed in New York. In fact, the next time I visit, I half-expect to see a bumper sticker that says, "GUNS DON'T KILL PEOPLE, AMERICANS WITH GUNS KILL PEOPLE."

(Another note about weapons: I’m a fan of the TV show NCIS, which airs in Canada on Global Network TV. If you are also a fan of this show, and you usually observe Gibbs Rule Number 9, "Never go anywhere without a knife," you need to remember that these are rules for members of Gibbs' team, not for civilians. So, this time, forget the knife, and leave it at home. If you really think you're going to need it -- as a tool -- mention the knife to the border guard, and show it to him, and tell him you have it to use as a tool in case of emergency, and that you do not plan to use it as a weapon. Do not mention the words "Rule Number 9" or quote said rule, or else he'll observe his Rule Number 1: "Do not let this jackass into your country, eh?" And another thing: Border guards, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, most likely will observe a variation on Gibbs Rule Number 23: "Never mess with a Mountie's Tim Hortons coffee if you want to live.")

And if you can speak French, don't try to impress the Customs officials with it. Or the locals, for that matter. You're going into Ontario, not Quebec. (And even if you were going into Quebec, they're not going to be impressed by your ability to speak their first language.) A, People of French descent are a minority west of Quebec (although singers Alanis Morrissette and Avril Lavigne are both Franco-Ontarians); and, B, They can probably speak English, let alone French, and possibly another language or two, better than you can. If you try to speak French in Toronto, you won't sound like you're from Montreal, and you certainly won't sound like you're from Paris. You'll sound like a smartass.  That's if you speak French well. If you don't, you'll sound like a damn fool.

When crossing back into the U.S., in addition to what you would have to declare on the way in (if you still have any of it), you would have to declare items you purchased and are carrying with you upon return, items you bought in duty-free shops or (if you flew) on the plane, and items you intend to sell or use in your business, including business merchandise that you took out of the United States on your trip. There are other things, but, since you're just going for baseball, they probably won't apply to you. Just in case, check the Canadian Customs website I linked to above.

Precisely where will you be crossing the border? It could be at the Peace Bridge, built to commemorate the U.S. and Canada having “the world’s longest undefended border,” from Buffalo into the Ontario city of Fort Erie.

After going through Customs, this would take you right onto the Queen Elizabeth Way (the QEW). After the Pennsylvania Turnpike, this was North America’s second superhighway, and was named not for the current Queen but for her mother, the wife of King George VI, the woman most people now under the age of 65 called the Queen Mother or the Queen Mum. (You know: Helena Bonham-Carter in The King's Speech.) This road will hug Lake Ontario and go through the Ontario cities of Niagara Falls, St. Catharines and Hamilton before turning north and then east toward Toronto. Toronto’s CN Tower is so tall that you may actually see it, across the lake, before you get to Hamilton.

The most common route from Buffalo to Toronto, however, is to go north on I-190, the Thruway’s Niagara Extension, to Niagara Falls. After you go through Customs, the road will become Ontario Provincial Highway 405, which eventually flows into the Queen Elizabeth Way.

At the edge of the "megacity" of Toronto (Montreal is also now a "megacity"), the QEW becomes the Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway. ("Big Daddy" Gardiner was a major Toronto politician, and was responsible for getting it built.) The Gardiner does not have numbers on its exits. If you're only going for the game, and are leaving Toronto right afterward (I don't recommend this this: Spend a day in the city), you'll take the York/Yonge/Bay Street exit to get to the Air Canada Centre.

If you make 3 rest stops – I would recommend at or near Scranton and Syracuse, and count Customs, where they will have a restroom and vending machines – and if you don’t do anything stupid at Customs, such as fail to produce your passport, or flash a weapon, or say you watch South Park (a show with a vendetta against Canada for some reason), or call Sidney Crosby a cheating, diving pansy (even though he is one) – the trip should take about 11 hours.

Though that could become 12, because Toronto traffic is every bit as bad as traffic in New York, Boston and Washington. As Canada native (Regina, Saskatchewan) Leslie Nielsen would have said, I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley: Toronto traffic is awful.

Once In the City. Founded as York in 1793, it became the City of Toronto in 1834, the name coming from Taronto, a Native American name for the channel of water between Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching. There are 2.6 million people in the city, and 5.6 million in the metro area; in each case, making it larger than any in North America except New York, Los Angeles and Chicago -- unless you count Mexico to be part of "North America" instead of "Central America," in which case add Mexico City to those that are larger.

Since Canada is in the British Commonwealth, there are certain subtle differences from the U.S. Every measurement will be in the metric system. Dates are written not as Month/Day/Year, as we do it, but as Day/Month/Year as in Britain and in Europe. So, for us, this game will be played on "December 8, 2015," but for them on "8 December 2015." We would write the date as 12/8/15, but they will do so as 8/12/15 -- the 8th of the 12th, not December 8th.

They also follow British custom in writing time: A game starting at 7:00 PM would be listed as 1900. Those of you who have served in the military, you will recognize this as, in the words of M*A*S*H's Lt. Col. Henry Blake, "all that hundred-hours stuff." And every word we would end with -or, they will end with -our; and some (but not all) words that we would end with -er, they end with -re, as in "Air Canada Centre."

Another thing to keep in mind: Don't ask anyone where the "bathroom" is -- ask for the "washroom." This difference was a particular pet peeve of mine the first time I arrived at the Toronto Coach Terminal, although it wasn't a problem in Montreal's Gare Centrale as I knew the signs would be in French.

Every measurement will be in the metric system: Temperatures will be in Celsius, not Fahrenheit; distances will be in "kilometres," not miles (including speed limits, so don't drive 100 thinking it's miles); and gas prices will be per "litre," not per gallon (so don't think you're getting cheap gas, because a liter is a little more than a quart, so multiply the price by 4, and you'll get roughly the price per gallon, and it will be more expensive than at home, not less).

When you arrive, I would recommend buying the Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. The former newspaper is local, the latter is national, and both are liberal enough to suit my sensibilities (or, should I say, sensible enough to suit my liberalism). And The Star has a very good sports section, and should do a good job covering the Jays, although, being a hockey city in a hockey Province in a hockey country, you’ll see a lot of stuff about the Maple Leafs and nearby minor-league, collegiate and “junior” hockey teams no matter what time of year it is.

I would advise against buying the Toronto Sun, because it’s a right-wing sensationalist tabloid, and every bit the journalistically sloppy rag that the New York Post is. (It also has conservative “sister papers” called the Sun in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary, although the Vancouver Sun is not connected.) The National Post, while also politically conservative (and thus a national competitor for The Globe and Mail), is a broadsheet and thus conservative in the sense that it is calmer and more sensible with its journalism.

If you can get to Union Station after leaving your hotel, you may also be able to get out-of-town papers, including the New York ones, as well as Canadian papers such as the Montreal Gazette and the Ottawa Citizen.

Toronto's sales tax is 13 percent -- in 2010, this replaced the former Provincial sales tax of 5 percent and the federal GST (Goods & Services Tax) of 8 percent. In other words, the Conservative Party government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper wanted Canadians to think he'd killed the hated GST, when, in fact, Ontarians (who only make up 36 percent of the country) are paying pretty much the same taxes that they did before. See how stupid it is to vote for conservative candidates? It doesn't work in any country. (And now, Harper is out, and Liberal Party Leader Justin Trudeau is in, making him and his late father Pierre Trudeau the only father & son PMs in Canadian history.)

Union Station is at the intersection of Bay & Front Streets. Bay runs north-south, and divides Toronto's east and west sides, and the street numberings thereof; the lake serves as the "zero point" for streets running north and south, and thus there's no North and South on street names. Bay Street is also Canada's "Wall Street," the center of Toronto's financial district, and is not particularly well-liked by, well, anybody who isn't conservative in Canada. Unlike the New York Stock Exchange at Wall & Broad, however, the Toronto Stock Exchange is at King & York, not on Bay.

Toronto has a subway, Canada’s oldest, opened in 1954 and known locally as “the Rocket.” (I’ll bet Montrealers hated that, since it was the nickname of their beloved hockey star Maurice Richard, well before future Blue Jay and Yankee Roger Clemens was even born.) Along with Philadelphia, it's one of the last 2 subway systems in North America that still uses tokens rather than a farecard system such as New York's MetroCard.
Tokens are not sold individually. You must buy a minimum of 3, for C$8.40 (US$6.47), and the price per token goes down the more you buy. A Daypass is a much better value, at C$11.50, or US$8.86.

Toronto also runs a light rail system, calling the vehicles "streetcars" as they always have. The same fare system applies.
Going In. The Air Canada Centre (ACC), a.k.a. "The Hangar," is at 40 Bay Street. Opening in 1999, it has been the home of the Raptors and the Maple Leafs ever since.

From the arena website:

The Galleria is a public walkway running east to west at the north end of Air Canada Centre. It is a covered, climate-controlled walkway that houses the Ticket Office and public entrances to CentreSports and Union Market. The east end Galleria entrance features a display of historical artifacts from the original Canada Post Delivery Building.

Maple Leaf Square is a vibrant global entertainment destination located just outside Gate 6 of Air Canada Centre. Connected to the city's transit system and underground PATH network, Maple Leaf Square is a touchstone linking visitors and residents to Toronto's vast cultural tapestry. Maple Leaf Square includes: Real Sports Bar & Grill, E11even Restaurant, Hôtel Le Germain and much more.

Both teams, and the arena, are owned by Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. The company knows on which side its bread is buttered: The board named the company after Canada's most popular, and yet most underachieving, sports team. It is the successor company to Maple Leaf Gardens, Ltd., founded by Leafs boss Conn Smythe in 1931.

The company also owns the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League (named for the Ontario Hockey League's old Toronto Marlboros, a longtime Leafs farm team), Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League (based in adjoining Mississauga and named for their Area Code), and Major League Soccer's Toronto FC.

Having already hosted the NHL All-Star Game in its 1st season, 1999-2000, the ACC will host the NBA All-Star Game in 2016. The World Cup of Hockey will be played from September 17 to October 1, 2016, and the ACC will host all the games. Participating will be the national teams of Canada, the U.S., Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic, a team featuring the rest of Europe's nations under the name of Team Europe, and a Team North America comprised of U.S. and Canadian players under age 23. NHL players will be eligible.

Most likely, you will be entering from the north, through Union Station -- especially if you took the subway, to Union Station subway stop. Hopefully, if you drove into Toronto, you will have left your car in a hotel's parking deck. You could get a space nearby for as little as C$6.00 (US$4.62), but it's more likely to be at least C$10.00 (US$7.70). The rink is laid out east-to-west, and the Leafs attack twice toward the west end.
Food. According to the ACC website:

Forty concessions are featured on the two public concourses, including a food market adjacent to the Galleria that is open to the public on non-event days.

Concessions at Air Canada Centre offer interesting food choices under the banner of the "Union Market Food Co." The market theme presented at Air Canada Centre is inspired by Toronto's local St. Lawrence and Kensington Markets, and is evident throughout our selection of fresh, quality foods displayed at our Grill, Deli, Café, Trattoria and Food Co. concepts. 

Local vendors such as Pizza Pizza, Mr. Sub, and Tim Hortons are featured in these locations to provide fans with premium fare and highlight the "crowd pleasing" brands Toronto has to offer. In addition to the normal arena fare of pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, nachos, pretzels and candies, we also offer a wide selection of hot carved sandwiches, sushi and kosher foods. 

Crown Corner is a vibrant, modern bar with a view of the arena bowl as well as a western view of the Toronto skyline. Open to the ticketed public at all sports events and many other arena events, Crown Corner features a full concession service of premium menu items and provides a large socializing environment with seating before and during the game. 

• Location: West side of Level 300; accessed via Level 300 concourse and Gate 5 elevators and escalators 

Molson Brew House is located on the south side of the main concourse and has an attached brewery by Molson, under the careful eye of brew master Paul Swindle. The brewery provides the Rickard's Red beer served at Air Canada Centre. In addition, various grilled and prepared foods from The Carvery complement the energized atmosphere under the copper hooded open kitchen. 

• Location: South side of Level 100 concourse

Team History Displays. Unlike the Raptors, who don't have much of a history, the Leafs have nothing but history, and it is getting more and more ancient all the time. Remember how we Devils fans ridiculed Ranger fans for not winning the Stanley Cup for 54 years? Well, unless the Leafs win a Stanley Cup in the 2020-21 season or before, they'll top that.

The Leafs only hang banners for their 13 Stanley Cups, not for Conference Championships (they don't have any -- Finals berths that ended in defeat prior to 1982 don't count), not for Division Championships that fell short of Cup wins (1933, 1934, 1935, 1938 and... 2000; "Playoff Championships" in the old Norris Division don't count, either).

And their last Cup was won on May 2, 1967, and the surviving CBS telecast is in black and white. I've often compared the Leafs to an underachieving soccer team in London: They're the Tottenham Hotspur of Canada: They're a club that wears blue and white in the biggest city in the country, and the national media loves them, but they're well behind a team in red (although, unlike "Spurs" with fellow North Londoners Arsenal, the Leafs don't have to share a province, let alone a city or a neighborhood, with the Canadiens), and they haven't won their League since the 1960s. As Arsenal fans taunt Spurs fans, "You won the League in black & white!"

Although they've only used the Maple Leafs name, which they took from a minor-league baseball team that played its last season in 1968, since 1927, and were previously called the Toronto Arenas and the Toronto St. Patricks, the Leafs have been playing longer in the same city than all but 11 teams in all of North American major league sports. They've won more World Championships than all but 4 teams. And only 2 teams belong to both categories: The Yankees and the Canadiens.

Yet, for all their history, going back nearly a century, the Leafs are not loaded with retired uniform numbers. They have a very slim parameter for retiring numbers: It is only for players "who have made a significant contribution to the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and have experienced a career-ending incident while a member of the Maple Leaf team."

So far, they've decided that only 2 players meet this criteria. On December 12, 1933, right wing Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey, a member of their 1932 Stanley Cup winners, suffered a head injury after being knocked to the ice by Eddie Shore of the Boston Bruins. Three times, it was reported by newspapers that he had died. He recovered, and managed to work in hockey until 1984 and live until 1992, but his playing career was over.

The Leafs held a benefit game for him on February 12, 1934, which is recognized as the 1st NHL All-Star Game, and they announced that no player would ever again wear his Number 6. One exception was made: In 1968, Bailey himself asked that Ron Ellis be given the number, which he wore for the rest of his career.

On August 26, 1951, just 4 months after his overtime goal against the Montreal Canadiens won Game 5 and the Stanley Cup -- making him hockey's "Bobby Thomson" 38 days before Thomson etched his name into baseball history -- defenseman Bill Barilko was killed in a plane crash on a hunting trip. He was only 24, but had already played on 4 Cup winners. His Number 5 was packed away, and no Leaf has worn it since.

At some point, probably after Bailey's death on April 7, 1992 at age 88, someone discovered that there was never a retirement ceremony for his number or for Barilko's. So, on October 17, 1992, the night of the Leafs' 1st home game of the next season, banners with those numbers were raised to the rafters at Maple Leaf Gardens. In 2000, the brand-new Air Canada Centre hosted the All-Star Game, and those banners, and the newly-announced league-wide retirement for Number 99 of Wayne Gretzky, were raised. 

In 1993, the Leafs announced their Honoured Number program: They would raise banners to the rafters featuring pictures of team legends, but not retire the numbers, as sort of a team hall of fame.

The honorees (or, since this is the British Commonwealth, "honourees") are:

* 1, goaltenders Walter "Turk" Broda, 1937-52; and Johnny Bower, 1959-70.
* 4, defenseman Clarence "Hap" Day, 1924-37; and center Leonard "Red" Kelly, 1961-67.
* 7, defensemen Francis "King Clancy, 1931-37; and Tim Horton, 1950-70.
* 9, right wing Charlie Concacher, 1930-38; and Ted "Teeder" Kennedy, 1943-57.
* 10, center Syl Apps, 1937-48; and right wing George Armstrong, 1950-71.
* 13, center Mats Sundin, 1994-2008.
* 17, left wing Wendel Clark, 1985-2000.
* 21, defenseman Borje Salming, 1973-89.
* 27, left wing Frank Mahovlich, 1957-68; and center Darryl Sittler, 1970-82.
* 93, center Doug Gilmour, 1991-2003.

In contrast, they have had 62 players make the Hockey Hall of Fame, and 37 of them could legitimately be called Leafs Hall-of-Famers:

* From the 1918 and 1922 Cup winners: Samuel "Rusty" Crawford, Harry Cameron, Reg Noble and Cecil "Babe" Dye.

* From the 1932 Cup winners: Day, Bailey, Clancy, Conacher, George "Red" Horner, Joe Primeau and Harvey "Busher" Jackson.

* From the Cup winners of the 1940s (at least one of 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949 and 1951): Broda, Kennedy, Apps, Walter "Babe" Pratt, Gordie Drillon, Harry Watson, Max Bentley and Fern Flaman.

* From the 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967 Cup winners: Bower, Kelly, Horton, Armstrong, Mahovlich, Allan Stanley, Bert Olmstead, Bob Pulford, Dave Keon, Dick Duff, Marcel Pronovost and Terry Sawchuk.

* From the 1970s: Norm Ullman.

* From the 1978 team that reached the Stanley Cup Semifinals: Sittler, Salming and Lanny McDonald.

* From the 1993 and 1994 teams that reached the Eastern Conference Finals: Gilmour.

* From the 1999 team that reached the Conference Finals: Sundin. (Gilmour and Clark were traded away, and later reacquired.)

So, only 6 guys in the last 48 years. That shows you how things have gone for the Leafs.

In 2014, the Leafs dedicated Legends Row, a series of statues outside the Air Canada Centre. They now include Bower, Kennedy, Apps, Armstrong, Sundin, Salming and Sittler.

Stuff. There is a team store, or rather a teams store, at ACC. From the arena website:

Located at Gate 1, Air Canada Centre, Real Sports Apparel is 3,000 square-feet of the most authentic sports retail experience outside of the locker room. Located just steps from the ice and from the court, Real Sports Apparel brings fans closer to the action in a 360-degree mecca to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, Toronto FC and Toronto Marlies. Specializing in on-site jersey personalization, exclusive merchandise collections and game-worn gear, Real Sports Apparel is as a must-stop shop for Toronto's most passionate fans.

Not surprising, given their long and (non-recent) achievement-laden history, and their place in the national consciousness, the Leafs are very well represented in print and on video. Stephen J. Harper (not the recently-defeated Prime Minister) wrote A Great Game: The Forgotten Leafs & the Rise of Professional Hockey, about the 1918 and 1922 Cup winners.

Who is the defining figure in Leafs history? From the 1920s until the 1950s, it was Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe. An officer in the Canadian Army in both World Wars, he built Maple Leaf Gardens at the depth of the Great Depression, and built what was (at the time) the greatest dynasty in hockey history. He was cheap as hell to his players, and even removed a large portrait of Canada's head of State, Queen Elizabeth II, from one end of the Gardens, to install a few thousand more seats. "She doesn't pay admission, does she?" On the other hand, he was a great donor to children's charities and, after his wife's death in 1965, to cancer fundraisers. He didn't found the NHL like George Halas essentially founded the NFL, but he was, pretty much, the Halas of hockey. Kelly McParland wrote The Lives of Conn Smythe: From the Battlefield to Maple Leaf Gardens: A Hockey Icon's Story.

With the Leafs' Cup winners of the 1960s being the touchstone for Canada's Anglophone Baby Boomers, lots of books have been written about them, including Kevin Shea and Paul Patskou's Toronto Maple Leafs: Diary of a Dynasty, 1957-1967.

Smythe made the mistake of selling the team not to his son Stafford, but to a group that Stafford led, which included Harold Ballard. Ballard ended up ruining the team after the last Cup in 1967. (Unlike that other Connie of a team stuck in the past, Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics, who didn't trust his sons enough, Connie Smythe trusted his son too much.)

Ballard was often compared to George Steinbrenner, with his micromanaging and too-quick willingness to fire everyone from coaches to low-level employees. The difference? When Ballard was taken out of the way in 1990 (by death, not suspension), the franchise's 1990s recovery was far from complete; he was not willing to spend whatever it took to win; he overlooked far worse things (the kind of things Vincent Priore has only alleged in his book Abused by the Yankees, and can't prove), and, when he was indicted, he was unwilling to cut a deal, and actually did go to prison. And his image has never been rehabilitated. The Ballard era, in which he was sole owner from 1971 until his death in 1990, and still casting a shadow over them, inspired the title of Peter Robinson's 2012 book Hope and Heartbreak in Toronto: Life as a Maple Leafs Fan.

In 2001, on the 75th Anniversary of the Maple Leafs name (1927-28 to 2001-02), a DVD was released, titled 75, Forever: The Tradition of the Toronto Maple Leafs. As the team hasn't done much since, this is as close as you'll come to a definitive video history.

Toronto Maple Leafs: 10 Great Leafs and Their Most Memorable Games was released in 2009, and includes: Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals, in which Bobby Baun played on a broken ankle and scored the overtime winner to beat the Detroit Red Wings (and played in Game 7, too); the 1967 Game 6 Cup-clincher against Montreal; Game 7 of the Quarterfinals in 1978, won by Lanny McDonald against the Islanders in overtime; Ken Wregget's shutout of the St. Louis Blues to advance in 1987, although calling Wregget a "Great Leaf" is a bit of a stretch, he's usually thought of as a Pittsburgh Penguin from their 1991 and '92 Cups; Nikolai Borschevsky's Game 7 overtime winner eliminating the Wings in 1993, although he's hardly a "great" and probably isn't remembered for anything else; Gilmour's double-overtime winner eliminating the Blues in 1993; Clark's 2-goal performance in a Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks in 1994; an overtime winner by Sundin to eliminate the Ottawa Senators in 2001; Gary Roberts' triple-overtime winner against the Ottawa Senators in Game 2 in 2002; and Roberts' 2-goal performance in Game 6 of that same series, setting up a victorious Game 7. Oddly, Sittler's 10-point game against the Boston Bruins in 1976 is not included, possibly because it was a regular-season game, and these others are all Playoff games.

During the Game. You do not need to fear wearing your Devils gear to the Air Canada Centre. Although quite a few U.S.-based crime dramas (and other shows, and films, particularly those that supposedly take place in Chicago) have been filmed in and around Toronto, it’s not a particularly crime-ridden city. Just don't remind anyone that the Leafs haven't won the Cup, or even been to the Finals since the Sixties.

Since you’re in Canada, there will be two National Anthems sung. “The Star-Spangled Banner” will probably be sung by about half of the few dozen Devils fans who show up, but “O Canada” will be sung by the home fans with considerable gusto. The Leafs hold auditions for Anthem singers, rather than having a regular singer.

The Leafs' mascot is a polar bar, Carlton the Bear. He wears Number 60, and both his name and his number refer to Maple Leaf Gardens, which is at 60 Carlton Street.

The Leafs' theme song is "Blue & White" by Jay-Dee. (Not to be confused with Jay-Z.) Their goal song is by, ironically, a band named the American Authors: "Best Day of My Life." The fans' main chant is the rather ordinary "Go, Leafs, go!"

After the Game. Toronto is an international city, every bit as much as New York is, and some of these people may have cut their teeth as sports fans in European soccer. But we’re not talking about hooligans here. Canadians are stereotypically polite, and you're not rooting for Montreal or Ottawa. Almost certainly, they will leave you alone.

To the south, if you walk under the Gardiner Expressway, you'll find a pub named The Fox at 35 Bay Street. The Miller Tavern is at 31 Bay Street. And Harbour Sixty Steakhouse is at 60 Harbour Street. To the west, Real Sports Bar & Grill is at 15 York Street, across Bremner Blvd. from the ACC. Hoops Sports Bar & Grill is at 125 Bremner Blvd., 2 blocks west of the ACC.

I would also advise avoiding Jack Astor’s, a smart-alecky-named chain of Canadian restaurants that includes one at 144 Front Street West, a block west of Union Station. I ate there the last time I was in Toronto, and the food and service would be mediocre at half the price. They have only one location in the U.S. -- not surprisingly, in nearby Buffalo, at the Walden Galleria east of downtown.

Next-door to Jack Astor's is the Loose Moose Tap & Grill, at 146 Front Street West. There, as they say, you’ll “eat like a king then party like a rock star!” You’ll be dining like a typical Torontonian, rather than with guys likely to jump into the Monty Python “Lumberjack Song.” (If you’ve never seen that sketch, let me put it this way: Don’t ask, and I won’t tell.) And the Lone Star Texas Grill, a block away at 200 Front Street West, is jointly owned by several former CFL players, and is a fair takeoff on the U.S. chain Lone Star Steakhouse.

Actually, your best bet may be, as Vancouver native Cobie Smulders of the TV series How I Met Your Mother would put it, “the most Canadian place there is”: Tim Hortons. (Note that there is no apostrophe: It’s “Hortons,” not “Horton’s,” because Quebec's ridiculous protect-the-French-language law prohibits apostrophes and the company wanted to keep the same national identity.) They have a 62 percent share of the Canadian coffee market (Starbucks has just 7 percent) and 76 percent of the Canadian baked goods market. They also sell sandwiches, soup, chili, and even (some of you will perk up faster than if you’d drunk their coffee) New York-style cheesecake. It’s fast food, but good food. I rate them behind Dunkin Donuts, but ahead of Starbucks.

Tim Horton, a defenceman (that’s how they spell it up there) for the Maple Leafs, and businessman Ron Joyce started the doughnut/coffee shop chain in 1964, while in the middle of the Maple Leafs’ 1960s dynasty. He played a couple of years for the Rangers, then went to the Buffalo Sabres and opened a few outlets in the Buffalo area. He was still playing at age 44, and the only thing that stopped him was death. Specifically, a 100-MPH, not-wearing-a-seat-belt crash on the Queen Elizabeth Way over Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines, Ontario. (In other words, if you’re driving or taking the bus from New York to Toronto, you’ll pass the location.)

Joyce, whose son Ron Jr. married Horton’s daughter Jeri-Lyn, joined with Dave Thomas of Wendy’s and merged the two companies in 1995, becoming its largest shareholder, with even more shares than Thomas. Although the companies have since split again, it was mutually beneficial, as Wendy's gained in Canada and Timmy's poked their heads in the U.S. door.

There are now over 3,000 Tim Hortons locations in Canada, including inside the Air Canada Centre, one at Toronto's Union Station, and several on Canadian Forces Bases around the world. There's now over 500 in the U.S., and they’re heavily expanding in New York, including 3 in the Penn Station complex alone (despite Horton himself only briefly having played for the Rangers upstairs at the “new” Madison Square Garden). They are also partnered with Cold Stone Creamery, with an outlet on 42nd Street, a 2-minute walk from Port Authority. These Hosers know what they're doing.

The only reference I can find to a bar or restaurant in Toronto where New Yorkers are known to gather, and I'm not very sure of this, is Sports Centre Cafe, at 49 St. Clair Avenue W., just off Yonge Street. It's got multiple screens, it shows NFL games, and I've heard that Giants fans like to watch games there. St. Clair station on the subway.

Sidelights. Being the largest and most influential city in Canada, Toronto is loaded with tourist traps. This has been spoofed in “The Toronto Song,” a bit by the Edmonton-based comedy trio Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie. (It’s not obvious that 3DTB are from Edmonton until the end of the song, by which point they’ve said everything in Ontario sucks, as do all the other Provinces, except “Alberta doesn’t suck – but Calgary does.”)

They’re not far off.  Toronto is much cleaner than most American cities: U.S. film crews, trying to save money by filming there, have had to throw garbage onto the streets so it would look more like New York, Boston, Chicago or Los Angeles, and then they have to do it again between takes, because the street-sweepers clean it up that quickly.  But the city does have slums, a serious homeless problem, ridiculous rents, never-ending lakefront high-rise construction (mirroring recent New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s similar projects), and their share of metalheads, punks, Goths and chavs.

I wouldn't call then-Mayor David Miller a dork, as 3DTB did, although his predecessor, Mel Lastman, was often a Canadian version of Rudy Giuliani. With better hair. You may have heard about recent Mayor Rob Ford: He's a crook, an alcoholic and a crackhead, who was just barely able, through legal action, to keep his office, before losing his bid for re-election last year. I don't know much about the current Mayor, John Tory, but if he votes like his name suggests (Conservative Party or "Tories"), the city is in trouble.

Torontonians can’t quite decide whether they want to be Canada’s New York (national media, culture and finance capital, home of the CBC and CTV, and Bay Street is their “Wall Street”), Canada’s Chicago (a gritty blue-collar “drinking town with a sports problem”), or Canada’s L.A. (movie-filming center.) Actually, Montreal is Canada’s New York (international city, city of islands, great food city, great neighborhood city), Hamilton its Chicago, and Vancouver its L.A.

Toronto is... Toronto is something else. Scientists have yet to figure out what. But check out these locations:

* Hockey Hall of Fame. If you go to Toronto and you don’t go to the Hockey Hall of Fame, they should deport you from Canada and never let you back in. This place is great, and the actual Stanley Cup is there. Well, 2 of them are, the original bowl that was so damaged that they replaced it in 1970, plus some of the bands with old-time winners on it, and a display copy. The one that gets awarded every year is also stored there in preparation for its annual awarding, then gets to go wherever the winning team’s players want to take it for almost a year.

You’ll also see why Canadians call hockey jerseys “sweaters”: They used to be sweaters, as you’ll see in the display cases. You’ll also see why they’re not sweaters anymore: Holes where they were eaten by moths. Hockey eventually got that right.

They also got the location for their Hall of Fame right: While it’s not clear where hockey was invented, and the NHL was founded in Montreal, they put their Hall of Fame in an easily accessible city, unlike baseball (hard-to-reach Cooperstown, New York is not where baseball was invented), basketball (Springfield, Massachusetts is where it was invented, but it’s a depressing town), and pro football (Canton, Ohio is where the NFL was founded, but it's so drab and bleak it makes Springfield look like Disney World… Sorry, Thurman).

30 Yonge Street, blocked by Yonge, Front, Bay and Wellington. Union Station stop on the TTC subway.

* Rogers Centre. Opening in 1989 as the SkyDome and as the 1st retractable-roof stadium in the world, the Blue Jays and the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts have played here ever since.

The Jays won back-to-back World Series while playing here in 1992 and 1993, while the Argos have won 5 Grey Cups since moving in: 1991, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2012. The last was won at Rogers Centre. (Like its American counterpart, the Super Bowl, the Grey Cup Final is held at a preselected site, but with only 9 teams in the CFL, it has a far lesser chance of turning out to be a neutral site than the Super Bowl does.)

The official address is 1 Blue Jays Way, and it's bordered by Front Street and the railroad on the north, a walkway separating it from the CN Tower complex on the east, Bremner Blvd. and the Gardiner Expressway on the south, and a walkway leading into Blue Jays Way leading into Peter Street on the west. Public transportation access isn't very good, so your best bet is to walk in from Union Station, nearly a mile away.

* Exhibition Place. The Canadian National Exhibition is kind of a nationwide “State Fair.” It was on the grounds, off Princes Boulevard, that Exhibition Stadium, or the Big X, stood from 1948 to 1999. It was home to the Blue Jays from 1977 to 1989 and the Argonauts from 1959 to 1988. It hosted only one MLB postseason series, the 1985 ALCS, which the Jays lost to the Kansas City Royals.

It hosted 12 Grey Cups (Canadian Super Bowls), although only one featured the Argos, and that was the 1982 game, won by the Edmonton Eskimos in a freezing rain, with fans chanting, “We want a dome!” The SkyDome/Rogers Centre project soon began, and Exhibition Stadium never hosted another Grey Cup. Rogers Centre has now hosted 4, including the 100th, in November 2012, which the Argos won over the Calgary Stampeders.

BMO Field (pronounced "BEE-moh"), home of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Major League Soccer’s rather unimaginatively-named Toronto FC, was built on the site of Exhibition Stadium. The parking lot immediately south of BMO Field has plaques embedded in the pavement where home plate and the other three bases were once located at "The Bix X." BMO hostedthe 2010 MLS Cup Final, in which the Colorado Rapids beat FC Dallas.

Exhibition stop on the Lakeshore West line of GO, Toronto’s commuter-rail service out of Union Station.

* Varsity Stadium. The home of the athletic complex of the University of Toronto, this is the 3rd stadium on the site, replacing one that stood from 1911 to 2002 and the one before that from 1898 to 1911. It only seats 5,000, but its predecessor could hold 21,739, and hosted more Grey Cups than any other facility, 29, from 1911 to 1957.

Unlike Exhibition Stadium, the Argos won 9 of their 16 Grey Cups at home at Varsity Stadium: 1914, 1921, 1937, 1938, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950 and 1952. (They also won at Sarnia in 1933, Vancouver in 1983, Winnipeg in 1991, Hamilton in 1996, Edmonton in 1997 and Ottawa in 2004.)

Varsity Stadium was home to the various Toronto teams in the North American Soccer League, and hosted the 1969 Rock ‘n Roll Revival Concert, as shown in the film Sweet Toronto, featuring John Lennon and his Plastic Ono Band (of course, with Yoko Ono, but also with Eric Clapton), the Doors, Alice Cooper, and founding fathers of rock Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Gene Vincent. This was the concert where a live chicken was thrown at Cooper from the seats, and he threw it back, thinking it could fly, but it died.

299 Bloor Street West and Devonshire Place. Museum stop on the Yonge-University Line, or St. George stop on the Yonge-University or Bloor-Danforth Lines.

* Rosedale Park. This is where the first Grey Cup game was held, on December 4, 1909. The University of Toronto defeated the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club, 26-6. There’s now a soccer field on the site of the original stadium.

Scholfield and Highland Avenues. Unfortunately, the closest subway stop is Summerhill, on the Yonge-University Line, and you’ll have to walk a roundabout path to get there. If you really want to see it, you may want to take a cab. In fact, if your time is limited, and you have to cross some of these off your list, I'd say cross this one off first.

* Maple Leaf Gardens. Home of the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs from 1931 to 1999, this was arguably the most famous building in Canada. The Leafs won 11 Stanley Cups while playing here: 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964 and 1967 – and they haven’t been back to the Finals since.

The Gardens (always plural, never “The Garden” like in New York and Boston) also hosted the 1st NHL All-Star Game, a benefit for injured Leafs star Ace Bailey in 1934, one of the Canada-Soviet “Summit Series” games in 1972, and the 1st Canada Cup in 1976, where Leafs star Darryl Sittler stole the show.

On November 1, 1946, the first NBA game was held at the Gardens, with the Knicks winning 68-66 over the Toronto Huskies, who folded after that first season of 1946-47. It hosted the Beatles on all 3 of their North American tours (1964, ’65 and ’66), and Elvis Presley in 1957 – oddly, in his early period, not in his Vegas-spectacle era.

But somebody who doesn’t give a damn about history, only money, decided the Gardens was obsolete, and the Leafs moved into the Air Canada Centre in 1999. A plan to turn the arena into a shopping mall and movie multiplex, as was done with the Montreal Forum, was dropped because of the way the building was built: Unlike the Forum, if the Gardens’ upper deck of seats is removed, the walls will collapse.

Fortunately, it has been renovated, and is now part of the athletic complex of Ryerson University, including its hockey team, with its seating capacity reduced to 2,796 seats, down from its classic capacity which ranged from 12,473 in the beginning to 15,726 at the end, with a peak of 16,316 in the 1970s.

So, while the old Madison Square Garden, the old Boston Garden, Chicago Stadium, and the Olympia are gone, and the Montreal Forum has been converted into a mall, one of the "Original Six" arenas is still standing and being used for hockey. It also has a Loblaws supermarket.

60 Carlton Street, at Church Street. College stop, on the Yonge-University Line.

* Site of Mutual Street Arena. This arena stood at this location from 1912 until 1989, when condos were built there, and was the home of the Toronto Blueshirts, National Hockey Association Champions and Stanley Cup winners 1914, and the Maple Leafs from 1917 to 1931.

They were known as the Toronto Arenas when they won the 1st NHL Championship and their 1st Stanley Cup in 1918, and the Toronto St. Patricks when the won the Cup in 1922. Conn Smythe renamed them the Maple Leafs, after the city’s minor-league baseball team, when he bought them in 1927.

Bounded by Mutual, Shuter, Dundas and Dalhousie Streets. Queen or Dundas stops on the Yonge-University Line.

* Hanlan’s Point. This was the home of Toronto baseball teams from 1897 to 1925, and was the site of Babe Ruth’s 1st professional game, on April 22, 1914, for the Providence Grays, then affiliated with the Red Sox, much as their modern counterparts the Pawtucket Red Sox are. The Grays played the baseball version of the Maple Leafs, and the Babe pitched a one-hitter and hit a home run in a 9-0 Providence win.

Unfortunately, Hanlan’s Point is on one of the Toronto Islands, in Lake Ontario off downtown. The stadium is long gone, and the location is only reachable by Ferry.

* Site of Maple Leaf Stadium, at  Home to the baseball Maple Leafs from 1926 to 1967, it was demolished a year later, with apartments built on the site. The Leafs won 5 International League Pennants here, and it was the 1st sports team owned by Jack Kent Cooke, who would later own the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings, the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats and, most notably, the NFL’s Washington Redskins.

Stadium Road (formerly an extension of Bathurst Street) and Queens Quay West (that’s pronounced “Queen’s Key”). Fleet St at Bathurst St station on the city's streetcar system.

* Fort York, Bathurst Street and Front Street West. You should see at least one place that doesn't have anything to do with sports, and with the bicentennial of the War of 1812 having recently concluded, this place has become more interesting. In that war, the 2nd and last time the U.S. seriously tried to take Canada away from the British Empire, the U.S. Army, led by Zebulon Pike (for whom the Colorado Peak was named), burned the fort and what was then the city of York, now Toronto, on April 27, 1813. However, Pike was killed in the battle. In revenge, the British burned Washington, D.C.

Essentially, Fort York is Canada’s Alamo. But not their Gettysburg: That would be Lundy’s Lane, in Niagara Falls, and I recommend that you make time for that as well.

* Royal Ontario Museum and Gardiner Museum. “The ROM” is at the northern edge of Queen’s Park, which includes the Ontario provincial Parliament complex and the University of Toronto, and is, essentially, next-door to Varsity Stadium. It is Canada’s answer to New York’s Museum of Natural History. 100 Queens Park at Bloor Street West.

The Gardiner Museum, housing the Gardiner family's large collection of ceramic art, is across Queen's Park street. Museum stop on the Yonge-University Line, or St. George stop on the Yonge-University or Bloor-Danforth Lines.

* CN Tower, 301 Front Street West at John Street. It rises 1,815 feet above the ground, but with only its central elevator shaft and its 1,136-foot-high observation deck habitable, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) ruled that it was never a candidate for the title of "the world's tallest building." From 1975 until Burj Khalifa opened in Dubai in 2007, it was officially listed as "the world's tallest freestanding structure." The CN stood for Canadian National railways, but with their bankruptcy and takeover by VIA Rail, the CN now stands for Canada's National Tower.

Like New York's Empire State Building, at night it is lit in colors (or "colours") for special occasions, with its usual colors being the national colors, red and white. Admission is C$35.00 -- US$26.95, making it pretty expensive, but still cheaper than the Empire State Building, $32.00. It's next-door to the Rogers Centre and accessible via a skywalk from Union Station.

Toronto has quite a few very tall actual "buildings." First Canadian Place has been the nation's tallest building since it opened in 1976, 978 feet high, northwest corner of King & Bay Streets. There are 9 other buildings in excess of 700 feet, including, sadly, one built by Donald Trump and named for himself. Commerce Court North, built in the Art Deco style in 1930, was the tallest building in Canada until 1962, at 476 feet, but is now dwarfed by the 784-foot Commerce Court West, a far less interesting structure that went up in 1972.

Being outside the U.S., there are no Presidential Libraries in Canada. The nation's Prime Ministers usually don't have that kind of equivalent building. Of Canada's 23 Prime Ministers, 15 are dead, but only one is buried in Toronto: William Lyon Mackenzie King, who led the government on and off from 1926 to 1950, longer than anyone, and is buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery. 375 Mount Pleasant Road, Yonge Street Line to St. Clair, then 74 Bus.

There have been plenty of TV shows set in Toronto, but most Americans wouldn't know them, so I won't list their filming locations. Probably the most familiar, due to its being shown on PBS, is Degrassi Junior High and its related series. Recently, ABC ran the Toronto-based cop series Rookie Blue.

Because Toronto has a lot of surviving Art Deco structures from the 1920s and '30s, it's frequently used as a filming location for period-piece movies, including the movie version of Chicago (despite Chicago also having many such buildings survive). There were also several scenes from the U.S. version of Fever Pitch that were shot in Toronto. One is the scene of the barbecue in the park: In the background, a statue can be seen. It's a statue of Queen Victoria. I seriously doubt that there are any statues of British monarchs left in Boston.

*

The Raptors are the least accomplished of Canada's 4 major league sports teams, but, especially now that the Blue Jays are a Playoff team again, they are probably the easiest for which to get tickets.

Good luck, and remember: You are a guest in their country, so try to match their legendary politeness. If you can't do that, just don't go overboard with your New Yorkiness.

Tonight, the New Jersey Devils will play the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh.

Until 1997, the 'Canes were the Hartford Whalers. The Devils don't go to Hartford anymore. But they should be going there tonight, instead of to Raleigh.

The Devils haven't played in Hartford since February 12, 1997 -- 19 seasons ago. What was it like to see a Devils-Whalers game in Hartford? Let me go back into my archives, and show you this blog entry from February 5, 1997.

(Yes, I know: There were no blogs back then. Humor me. Updates will be given in italics.)

*

Before You Go. Hartford is a bit to the north of New York and New Jersey, but the weather won't be appreciably different from home on the same day. This game will be played in mid-February, so a winter jacket will be necessary.

Hartford is in the Eastern Time Zone, so you won't have to wind your watch back.

Tickets. The Whalers averaged just 11,983 fans per game in 1995-96, out of a seating capacity of 15,635, about 76 percent of capacity. New owner Peter Karmanos threatened to move the team if he didn't get at least 11,000 season tickets sold for this season. He got it, and Whaler attendance is better, but he still wants a new arena, and it doesn't look like Governor John G. Rowland is going to get the Connecticut legislature to pass funding for it. So tickets shouldn't be hard to get.

Karmanos announced on March 26, 1997 that the team was moving -- without having picked out a new city. He got an agreement from Raleigh, North Carolina to build a new arena, to open in the 1999-2000 season, while they would use the Greensboro Coliseum for 2 years. It is now believed that Rowland was holding back from pushing the legislature, because what he really wanted was to lure the New England Patriots with a new football stadium, and he didn't think the State could afford a new stadium and a new arena. Instead, he lost the Whalers, the Patriots decided to build their new stadium next to their old one, a smaller-than-expected 40,000-seat stadium was built in East Hartford for the University of Connecticut, and Rowland has since gone to prison for fraud. Twice.

Tickets are $50 in the upper level, and $25 in the lower level.

Getting There. Hartford is too close to fly, and doesn't have much of an airport, anyway. If you're driving, it's 128 miles from the Brendan Byrne -- excuse me, Continental Airlines Arena to the Hartford Civic Center. Take the New Jersey Turnpike to Exit 18W (or 18E, if you're not leaving right from the Meadowlands), go over the George Washington Bridge, and take Interstate 95 to New Haven. To Exit 48 to Interstate 91 North, to Exit 29A for downtown Hartford.

The Byrne Arena got its name changed to the Continental Airlines Arena in 1996, and then to the IZOD Center in 2007, after the Devils left for the Prudential Center. It was closed at the beginning of 2015, and will be demolished in the next few years.

If all goes well, once you get over the Bridge, you should spend about half an hour in New York, and about an hour and 45 minutes in Connecticut before reaching the arena. Depending on from where in New Jersey you leave, the trip should take between 2 and a half hours to 3 and a half hours.

The Amtrak station, which also serves as the Greyhound station, is 2 blocks to the west of the arena, at 1 Union Place between Church & Asylum Streets. The Amtrak round-trip fare is $60. Greyhound runs 13 buses per day between Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York and Union Station in Hartford. The fare is $39, but can drop to $26 with advanced purchase.

I don't know what the actual fares would have been. This is based on what they are now, and using the Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator, going backwards for once, and knowing that, while, in those early days of the Internet as we know it, it wasn't possible to order tickets online, it was still possible to show up at a station's ticket office and make an advanced purchase.

Once In the City. Hartford, named for the English country of Hertfordshire, is home to about 140,000 people, making around the same size as New Haven and Bridgeport, each competing to be the largest city in the State of Connecticut. When the Hartford metropolitan area is separated from the Boston metropolitan area, it's got about 1.5 million. Hartford is the State capital.

Hartford is now home to about 125,000 people, trailing Bridgeport at 144,000, New Haven at 130,000, and now also Stamford at 128,000. The metro area population is about the same.

It is known for being the home of the Colt Firearms Company, Stanley Tools, and several insurance companies. (Hence "Hardware City" and "Insurance City.") The sales tax in Connecticut is 6.35 percent. It does not rise within the County or the City of Hartford. The Hartford Courant is the largest-circulating newspaper in Connecticut, and the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in America.

Hartford doesn't seem to have a centerpoint, from which street addresses increase. However, the addresses do seem to increase from south to north, and from east to west. This is also true of the City of East Hartford, across the Connecticut River. CT Transit runs the area's buses, and a 1-Day Pass is $2.00.

It's now $3.00.

Going In. The official address of the Hartford Civic Center Coliseum is 1 Civic Center Plaza. It's bounded by Church Street (north), Trumbull Street (east), Asylum Street (south) and Pleasant Street (west). Parking is $7.50.

The name of the arena was changed to the XL Center in 2007, after XL Group, an insurance company. Again, I'm plugging the current parking price, $11.00, into the inflation calculator. Pleasant Street between Jewell Street and Morgan Street, including on the west side of the arena, has been renamed Ann Uccello Street, after the 1st female Mayor of Hartford.
Known simply as "The Civic Center" or "The Mall," because it's attached to one. If you're coming in from Union Station, you'll be entering from the west end; from I-91, either the north side or the east end. The rink is laid out east-to-west. The Whalers attack twice toward the west end.

The building opened on January 9, 1975, seating 10,507, and the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association moved right in. The University of Connecticut (UConn) basketball team, based 25 miles to the east in Storrs, also began playing selected home games there. The Boston Celtics played an average of 8 games a year there from 1975 to 1978 and again from 1980 to 1995, until the FleetCenter opened. Elvis Presley sang there on July 16 and 17, 1975 and July 28, 1976. (The Beatles never played a concert in Connecticut.)

On January 17, 1978, UConn played the University of Massachusetts in basketball, in a game sparsely attended due to snowfall. It kept on snowing, and, just 6 hours after the final horn -- in the middle of the night, fortunately, when the arena was empty, so no one was hurt -- the roof collapsed. The building was just 3 years old. (In contrast, the Boston Garden stood for 70 years before it was finally demolished, and it never had a structural issue.) It took 2 years for the building to be repaired, while the Whalers played 25 miles to the north in Springfield, Massachusetts, and UConn and the Celtics returned to Storrs and Boston, respectively.

On January 17, 1980, the Civic Center reopened, with a new seating capacity of 14,460. It is now 15,635. The Whalers moved back in, and UConn and the Celtics resumed their partial home schedules there. The New England Blizzard of the all-women's American Basketball League play there. The now-defunct Connecticut Coyotes of the Arena Football League played there. The Civic Center has also hosted both men's and women's NCAA basketball tournament games.
Immediately after the Whalers moved, in 1997, a minor-league team was brought to the Civic Center, named the Hartford Wolf Pack. Although they were named the Connecticut Whale from 2010 to 2013, as a tip of the hat (or helmet) to the Whalers, they remain at the XL Center. The Celtics' new arena is now called the TD Garden. The women's ABL played just 2 seasons before folding, 1996-97 and 1997-98. And the Civic Center Mall was redeveloped in the mid-2000s, creating residential, office and retail space.

Food. Like too many arenas built in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Meadowlands, the Nassau Coliseum and the Spectrum, the Civic Center has one level of concourse for two levels of seats. That just doesn't work when you've got a 12,000 or more crowd. You could lose half a period on line for food or the bathroom.

Concessions aren't especially interesting, pretty much standard fare. But with the number of families attending with kids, a lot of cotton candy and Carvel ice cream gets sold.

A renovation in time for the 2014-15 season expanded food options significantly, including Dunkin Donuts at the southwest and northeast corners.

Team History Displays. The Whalers' history has been weak. And they don't help themselves: Unlike the New Jersey Nets and the Indiana Pacers, who hang ABA title banners, and formerly the Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques (since moved), the Whalers do not hang a banner for winning the 1st WHA title in the 1972-73 season, as they were still playing at the Boston Garden at the time. (No banner for it hangs in the FleetCenter: The Bruins would like to forget the WHA ever existed. Indeed, changing the team's name from "New England" to "Hartford" was a condition of entering the NHL in 1979.)

The Whalers do hang banners for titles won while playing in Hartford. All 2 of them: The 1974-75 WHA Eastern Division title, and the 1987 NHL Adams Division title. That's all they've won: Since they entered the NHL, 17 season ago, they've won exactly 1 Playoff series, beating the Nordiques in the 1986 Adams Division Semifinal, before losing the Final to the Montreal Canadiens. They then lost in the 1st round 6 straight times, and haven't made the Playoffs since 1992. The lobby contains a large mural of some of the highlights of the Whalers' history. There is also a banner for the UConn women's team that won the 1995 National Championship.

The Whalers have retired 3 numbers: 2, defenseman Rick Ley, 1972-81 and head coach 1989-91; 9, right wing Gordie Howe, 1977-80; and 19, right wing John McKenzie, 1977-79, signed by the Whalers because of his popularity with the Bruins.

Howe was already in the Hockey Hall of Fame before he began his comeback in the WHA. Bobby Hull played 9 games with the Whalers at the end of his career in 1980. Toronto Maple Leafs legend Dave Keon played for the Whalers 1976-82, and is in the Hall. And a 4th Whaler in the Hall of Fame is Emile Francis, their general manager 1983-89, although he was already in for his service as GM and head coach of the Rangers. Still, 4 Hall-of-Famers in 25 years isn't bad, especially for a team that hasn't reached the Stanley Cup's quarterfinals except for once.

In 2006, the Wolf Pack raised 3 more banners in honor of Whalers stars: 5, defenseman Ulf Samuelsson, 1984-91; 10, center Ron Francis, 1981-91; and 11, right wing Kevin Dineen, 1984-92 and 1996-97, the Whalers' last Captain. Five other Whalers have been elected to the Hall, although only Francis and Gordie's son Mark Howe, 1977-82, can really be considers "Whalers Hall-of-Famers." The others only played 4 seasons in green & white between them: Paul Coffey, Brendan Shanahan and Chris Pronger.

UConn has now won 4 National Championship in men's basketball and 13 in the women's game, and banners for those titles, as well as banners honoring coaches Jim Calhoun and Geno Auriemma, hang in the XL Center, as well as at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs.

The Wolf Pack hang banners for their 2000 Calder Cup as champions of the AHL, and Division Championships in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2015. They've also retired Number 12, for Ken Gernander, the Captain of their Calder Cup winners and their current head coach. Ryan Bourque, Ray's son, is their current Captain.
Stuff. The Whalers Gift Store is at the arena's west end. The front door is shaped like a cutout of their old logo from the WHA days.

With such a lackluster history, books and videos about the team are few and far between. If only there was way to use that Internet I've heard so dang much about to search for books and videos.

In 1987, Jack Lautier published Fifteen Years of Whaler Hockey: The History of the Hartford Whalers. In 1995, John Gilbert and Gary Olson published Hartford Whalers, as part of the NHL Today series.

Amazon.com was founded in 1994, and by 1997, it was possible to search it, and the websites of Barnes & Noble and the now-defunct Borders for such items before setting foot in a brick-and-mortar store. Amazon still doesn't have any listings for videos about the Whalers, and only 2 books stand out. In 2007, Brian Codagnone published The Hartford Whalers. In 2005, Ed Willes published the definitive story of the WHA: The Rebel League: The Short and Unruly Life of the World Hockey Association.

During the Game. Hartford does not have a reputation for a crime problem. And Whaler fans consider the Rangers and the Bruins -- 2 teams we also don't like -- to be their rivals. They shouldn't bother you.

The mascot is Pucky the Whale, although it's a little weird to see a big green whale on legs. Tony Harrington is the Whalers' regular National Anthem singer. The main chant is the rather ordinary, "Let's go, Whalers!"

Jack Say wrote the Whalers' theme song, "Brass Bonanza." It was introduced in 1975 after the move to Hartford, and became an integral part of the Whalers experience, played after ever home team goal. In 1992, GM Brian Burke ordered that it no longer be played, because, in his words, "There were players who were embarrassed by it." He substituted Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2." After just 1 year, he was hired for a post in the NHL office by Commissioner Gary Bettman, and left, and new head coach and GM Paul Holmgren ordered "Brass Bonanza" reinstated.

The players who were "embarrassed" by "Brass Bonanza" have never been identified. I think Burke simply didn't like it. Since the Whalers left, Burke has failed as GM of Vancouver, Anaheim and Calgary, although he was GM of the Anaheim Ducks when they won the 2007 Stanley Cup. Gary Glitter has twice gone to prison for offenses that make "Rock and Roll Part 2" far more embarrassing than Burke thought "Brass Bonanza" was.

The song is still played at the XL Center, including at Wolf Park and UConn games, and has even become a fixture at Fenway Park. After all, Hartford is closer to Boston (100 miles) than it is to New York (119).

After the Game. You should be safe walking back to your car or to Union Station. There are several places around the arena where you can get a postgame meal, or even just a drink, although the mall might be closed by the time the final horn sounds, and I don't know of any that are known hangouts for New York or New Jersey teams' fans.

As I said, the mall has been redeveloped. Agave Grill is a Mexican restaurant at 100 Allyn Street, across Ann Uccello Street from the XL Center. Black Eyed Sally's is a Southern-themed restaurant at 350 Asylum Street, about halfway between the arena and the station. The Russian Lady, at 191 Ann Uccello Street, calls for "Neat Professional" attire, so it might not be a good idea for a postgame hockey crowd. And, as I said, there are Dunkin Donuts at opposite corners of the arena, which may be open after the game. I can't be sure if any of these places were open while the Whalers were still there.

Sidelights. Hartford's sports history isn't much, and is even less if you, as Peter Karmanos is threatening to do, take away the Whalers. But there are non-sports things to do in the city.

The Whalers played their 1st 2 seasons in Boston, alternating between the Boston Garden and, when the Bruins (who owned the Garden and now own the new arena) shut them out of available dates, the Boston Arena (Matthews Arena at Northeastern University). Fed up with this, they signed the deal to move to Hartford as soon as the Civic Center opened.

Except it wasn't ready for the start of the 1974-75 season, so the Whalers moved to the Eastern States Coliseum, better known as the Big E, longtime home of the AHL's Springfield Indians. It was old (built in 1926), it was small (just 6,000 seats), it wasn't in Hartford (28 miles to the north), and it wasn't even the best arena in town anymore, but they had first choice of scheduling there. 1305 Memorial Avenue.

When the Civic Center roof collapsed, the Whalers went back north, and played the rest of the 1977-78 season, all of 1978-79, and the first part of 1979-80 at the Springfield Civic Center. Opening in 1972, it hosted the Springfield Indians until 1994, and the Springfield Falcons since then. It seats 6,866.

The Springfield Civic Center is now known as the MassMutual Center. It still hosts minor-league hockey. The Big E does not, but it is still open for various events.

Of course, Springfield's biggest connection to sports is as the definitive birthplace of basketball. Dr. James Naismith invented the game at the International YMCA Training School, which grew into Springfield College. That's why the Basketball Hall of Fame is located in the city, at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue on the Connecticut River.

The best way to reach any site in or around Springfield from Hartford is by Amtrak. Fortunately, it's one of their cheapest runs, since it's not on the Boston-New York-Washington Northeast Corridor.

The New Britain Red Sox, a Class AA team in the Eastern League, played at the 4,700-seat Beehive Field from 1983 to 1995. In 1996, they became a Minnesota Twins farm team, and changed their name to the New Britain Rock Cats, playing at the 6,146-seat New Britain Stadium, which was built next door, at 230 John Karbonic Way. Bus 101 to New Britain Station, then transfer to Bus 510. The "BritSox" won the Pennant in 1983, but the Rock Cats have yet to win a Pennant in their new stadium.

The Rock Cats were in the EL Championship Series in 2001 when the 9/11 attacks occurred, with the series being canceled and co-champions being declared. In 2014, it was announced that the Rock Cats would move to Hartford for the 2016 season. They will be a farm team of the Colorado Rockies, and will become the Hartford Yard Goats, playing at brand-new Dunkin' Donuts Park, at 1214 Main Street at Trumbull Street, just a walk over I-84 from the XL Center. In the meantime, the Camden Riversharks of the Atlantic League are moving into New Britain Stadium, to become the New Britain Bees.

Hartford briefly had a major league team in the early days of baseball. The Hartford Dark Blues played at the Hartford Ball Club Grounds in the seasons of 1874 and 1875 in the National Association, and 1876 in the National League, before finances led them to move to Brooklyn. Good Shepherd Church was built on the site. 155 Wyllys Street at Osten Blvd., about a mile southeast of downtown.

There was also a Hartford Blues playing in the NFL, albeit only in the 1926 season, finishing just 3-7. They had Harry Stuhldreher of Notre Dame's Four Horsemen at quarterback, and future Giants legend Steve Owen as a two-way tackle. They played at the East Hartford Velodrome, at a site bounded by Pitkin Street, Founders Plaza, Hartland Street and East River Drive. Albertus Magnus College and a Hampton Inn were built on the site.

In 2003, football returned to East Hartford. Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field was meant to be the 60,000-seat new home of the New England Patriots (thus enabling them to keep their regional name. But team owner Robert Kraft merely used the Connecticut capital as a pawn to get a new stadium from Massachusetts next-door to the old one in Hartford. As a result, the stadium was replanned, and seats 40,642.

It is the new home for UConn football and the high school State Championships. The U.S. national soccer team is 3-1-1 while playing there, most recently in a 1-1 draw with Ecuador on October 10, 2014. The women's team is 2-0-2 there.

A crowd of 15,000 attended Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field, which featured games of the UConn men's and women's hockey teams, a game between alumni of the Whalers and the Bruins (a 4-4 tie), and a game between the Connecticut Whale and the Providence Bruins. 615 Silver Lane in East Hartford. Bus 83.

Don't get any ideas about major league teams returning to Hartford, with the possible exception of in the NHL. The area's low population base would rank it 31st and last among MLB markets, 32ndt in the NFL (ahead of only New Orleans), 28th in the NBA (ahead of New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Memphis), and 27th in the NHL (ahead of only Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg, and last among U.S. cities).

The Travelers Tower, headquarters of the insurance company of the same name, opened in 1919, and is Hartford's most familiar landmark besides the State House. It is 527 feet tall. In 1980, it was surpassed as the tallest building in the State of Connecticut by City Place I, at 185 Asylum Street, a short walk from the Civic Center: 534 feet.

City Place I is still the State's tallest building.

Hartford is home to the nation's oldest public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, at 600 Main Street at Gold Street. The Connecticut Science Center is at 250 Columbus Blvd. at Grove Street. The Mark Twain House, the last home of the author born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, is at 351 Farmington Avenue at Forest Street, adjacent to Hartford Public High School, about a mile west of downtown. Bus 60.

No President has ever been born in Connecticut, although George Bush grew up in Greenwich and attended Yale University in New Haven. William Howard Taft also graduated from Yale, and, like Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton, went to Yale Law School. But New Haven is 40 miles from Hartford.

His son, George W. Bush, was born at Yale-New Haven Hospital in 1946, and, like his father and grandfather, is a Yale graduate (however the hell that happened). But you'll never be able to convince him that he's anything other than Texas through and through.

Lots of movies have been filmed in Connecticut, but none that I can find were shot in Hartford. Same with TV shows: Bewitched was set in Westport and Who's the Boss? in Fairfield, but neither in Hartford. I guess the capital city simply isn't glamorous enough for Hollywood honchos.

Judging Amy took place in Hartford, running on CBS from 1999 to 2005. Gilmore Girls, which ran on The WB from 2000 to 2007, did some filming in Hartford, but was set in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, said to be half an hour's drive away.

This coming Wednesday night, the New York Knicks go to Salt Lake City to play the Utah Jazz. The Brooklyn Nets will visit on February 27.

Before You Go. We think of Utah, we think of the Wild West. Desert. National Monument Valley. We forget that it's also in the Rocky Mountains. I flipped out when I heard that it was chosen as the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics. Winter? Utah? But it's got mountains, and it's got snow. For years, the license plates even said, "Ski Utah."

The Salt Lake Tribune is predicting high 40s for daylight next Tuesday, and low 30s for the evening. Bring a winter coat.

Utah is in the Mountain Time Zone, 2 hours behind New York. Adjust your timepieces accordingly.

Tickets. The Jazz averaged 18,830 fans per game last season. That might sound like a good figure, but it's only about 94 percent of capacity. So getting tickets might not be a problem.

In the Lower Level, the single-digit and double-digit sections, seats are between $100 and $159 between the baskets, $62 to $83 behind them. In the Upper Level, the triple-digit sections, seats are between $21 and $61 between the baskets and go as low as $15 behind them. That's really cheap by NBA standards.

Getting There. It’s 2,174 miles from Midtown Manhattan to downtown Salt Lake City. In other words, if you’re going, you’re flying.

Because, driving, you'd have to get onto Interstate 80 West in New Jersey, and – though incredibly long, it’s also incredibly simple – you’ll stay on I-80 for almost the entire trip, getting off at Exit 306 for downtown Salt Lake.

Not counting rest stops, you should be in New Jersey for an hour and a half, Pennsylvania for 5:15, Ohio for 4 hours, Indiana for 2:30, Illinois for 2:45, Iowa for 5 hours, Nebraska for 7:45, Wyoming for 6:45, and Utah for 1:15. That’s almost 37 hours, and with rest stops, and city traffic at each end, we’re talking 2 full days.

That’s still faster than Greyhound and Amtrak. The station serving both, Salt Lake Central Station, is at 300 South 600 West, 5 blocks from the arena. But the Greyhound trip averages about 49 hours, depending on the run, and will require you to change buses twice, most likely in Pittsburgh and Denver. And you'd have to leave no later than Monday morning at 8:00 to get there by Wednesday gametime. Round-trip fare is $412, but it can drop to $376 with advanced purchase.

On Amtrak, you would leave Penn Station on the Lake Shore Limited at 3:40 PM on Sunday, arrive at Union Station in Chicago at 9:45 AM Central Time on Monday, and switch to the California Zephyr at 2:00 PM, arriving at Salt Lake City at 11:05 PM Mountain Time on Tuesday, about 20 hours before tipoff. Getting back, the California Zephyr leaves Salt Lake City at 3:30 AM on Thursday, arrives in Chicago at 2:50 PM on Friday, and the Lake Shore Limited leaves at 9:30 PM and arrives in New York at 6:23 PM on Saturday. So we're talking a Sunday to the next week's Saturday operation by train. Round-trip fare: $509.

Newark to Salt Lake City is a relatively cheap flight, considering the distance. You can get a round-trip fare for under $500. The problem is, you'll have to change planes, probably in Chicago, Dallas or Phoenix -- not, as you might guess, in Denver.

Once In the City. Founded in 1847 by Mormon leader Brigham Young (who famously found what he thought was the right spot for his followers and said, "This is the place") and named after the Great Salt Lake, Salt Lake City is the smallest anchor city in North American major league sports, except for Green Bay, Wisconsin: 191,000. But it has a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million and rising.

Society in the State and the City remain dominated by "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints," a.k.a. the Mormons. So, in Star Trek IV, when Kirk, having traveled back in time with Spock, tells a woman that Spock was in Berkeley, California in the 1960s and "did a little too much LDS," it was a mistake, not a reference to Spock being a Mormon. I don't think there were very many Mormons at the University of California, Berkeley in those days. They were much more likely to have attended the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah State University in Logan, or Brigham Young University in Provo.

Nevertheless, like Austin in Texas, Little Rock in Arkansas, Atlanta in Georgia and Lincoln in Nebraska (but definitely not the suburbs of any of those), Salt Lake City is an increasingly liberal capital city in a very conservative State.) I put it this way: In Salt Lake City, Mitt Romney is regarded as "severely conservative"; in the rest of Utah, he's "Massachusetts Moderate Mitt." (As Dick Smothers would say, "That was not a compliment.")

Salt Lake City has the most confusing street names I've ever seen. In place of numbered streets, such as "West 6th Street," they have "600 West," then divide them along the other access, so it reads as "South 600 West." I suppose that if you've lived there all your life, this is second nature to you. Or North 200 Nature to you. But it would drive me bananas.

At any rate, Main Street is the east-west divider, with State Street taking the place of 100 East, and West Temple -- not "West Temple Street" or "West Temple Avenue" or anything like that, just "West Temple" -- taking the place of 100 West. There's also a North Temple and a South Temple, but not an East Temple. South Temple is the north-south divider. The exact centerpoint is Temple Square.

Most Oakland street addresses aren't divided into north-south, or east-west.  The city does have numbered streets, starting with 1st Street on the bayfront and increasing as you move northeast. One of the BART stops in the city is called "12th Street Oakland City Center," and it's at 12th & Broadway, so if you're looking at a centerpoint for the city, that's as good as any.

The Utah Transit Authority runs buses and TRAX light rail. Routes numbered 001 to 199 run east-to-west, 200 to 299 run north-to-south, 300-399 are express, 400 to 499 are intercounty, 500 to 599 are neighborhood routes, 600 to 699 are Weber/Davis County routes, 800 to 899 are Utah County Routes, and 900 to 999 are Ski Service/Seasonal routes.

A square bounded by Temple on the north, 200 East on the east, 500 South on the south, and 400 West on the west, plus the State Capitol, Salt Lake Central Station and Old Greektown Station, are a Free Fare Zone. Otherwise, within Salt Lake City, a one-way fare is $2.50, and a Day Pass is $6.25.

The "sales and use tax," as it's known in Utah, is 4.7 percent for the State, and rises to 6.85 percent in Salt Lake City.

Going In. The Jazz' arena opened in 1991 as the Delta Center, with the airline having bought naming rights. It became the EnergySolutions Arena in 2006, and the name was just changed again, to Vivint Smart Home Arena, as the private home security system company bought the naming rights. Yet another thing about Salt Lake City that's confusing, along with the street addresses, the combination of desert and snow-capped mountains, and the liberal City in the conservative State.

The official address of the arena is 301 South Temple. It's downtown, within walking distance of most hotels. The Gateway Mall, including the old Union Pacific Railroad depot, is across North 400 West. Parking is available all around, including underneath the Salt Palace Convention Center, across 300 West from the arena. I can't find any reference to how much parking costs in these lots, but metered parking is $2.00 for 2 hours, and free after 8:00 PM (in other words, in the middle of the game).
The Larry H. Miller Court, named for the late Jazz owner (whose company still owns the team and the arena), is laid out southwest to northeast. The building was used for figure skating and short track speed skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics. (Because the Olympics prohibit corporate names on venues, it was officially known as the Salt Lake Ice Center for the duration.) The WNBA's Utah Starzz played there from 1997 to 2002, when they moved to become San Antonio Silver Stars.
It was home to a pair of minor-league hockey teams, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991 to 1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995 to 1997, winning the Turner Cup in 1996 and '97. It's hosted NCAA Tournament games, although the NCAA is now committed to holding them in domed stadiums with at least twice this arena's capacity of 19,911.

In 2008, Sports Illustrated took a poll of 240 NBA players, and the building was chosen by 20 percent (hardly a majority, but a plurality) as the most intimidating arena in the NBA. It could be due to the high elevation in this Rocky Mountains city, as much as to the noise of the fans.

Food. The arena has some new additions to their traditional concessions:


Team History Displays. The Jazz began as an expansion franchise in 1974, in New Orleans, and moved to Salt Lake City in 1979. "New Orleans Jazz" made sense, but "Utah Jazz" doesn't. Former coach Frank Layden suggested that the team swap names with the Los Angeles Lakers, who started in Minnesota, "the Land of 10,000 Lakes," because Utah has a lake, while L.A. is the West Coast's leading city for jazz. Neither Commissioner Larry O'Brien nor Lakers owner Jerry Buss (both now deceased) went for the idea. Still, the Jazz' note-shaped J logo is pretty sharp. Definitely not flat. It looks completely natural.

Sam Battistone, the team's majority owner at the time of the move, said there wasn't time to get the name officially changed before the 1979-80 season, and that nobody came up with a better name: "The names that came in, nothing seemed to fit." He sold the team to Larry Miller in 1985, and he didn't change the name, either.

The Jazz won the Midwest Division in 1984, 1989, 1992, 1997, 1998 and 2000. They've won the Northwest Division in 2007 and 2008. They've won the Western Conference in 1997 and 1998. They have banners for each of these achievements, doubling up for '97 and '98. (There is no notation in the arena's rafters for the 1971 ABA Championship won by the Utah Stars, who also reached the ABA Finals in 1974, losing to the New York Nets.)
For a franchise so young, and without an NBA title, the Jazz have a very high number of honorees for "retired numbers": 11. Although Pete Maravich only played 17 games for Utah after the move, before being traded to the Boston Celtics, the Jazz retired his Number 7 for what he did for the franchise in New Orleans, even though he wore 44 when he started with them. The New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans also retired 7 for him, even though he never played for them.

From the 1984 Division title, they honored coach Frank Layden with 1, forward Adrian Dantley's 4, guard Darrell Griffiths' 35 and center Mark Eaton's 53. From the 1989 Division title, they honored Dantley, Griffith, Eaton, guard John Stockton's 12 and forward Karl Malone's 32. From the 1992 Division title, they honored Eaton, Stockton and Malone. And from the 1997 and 1998 Conference titles and the 2000 Division title, they honored Stockton, Malone, and guard Jeff Hornacek's 14.

As yet, no one is honored from the 2007 and 2008 Division titles. With as many retired numbers as they have, it seems silly to retire Carlos Boozer's 5, Deron Williams' 8 and Mehmet Okur's 13 when they didn't win a title.

Straddling the eras, they have banners honoring owner Miller, the late broadcaster Rod Hundley, and head coach Jerry Sloan. Hundley, who'd been a star player for the Lakers in the 1960s, is represented by a banner with a picture of a microphone. Miller, for whatever reason, has Number 9, while Sloan's banner has the number of games he won as Jazz head coach, 1223.

Miller made his name as a car salesman and then a dealership owner throughout Utah and Colorado, and built a media empire, even buying Salt Lake City's Channel 14 and renaming it KJZZ for the team. He bought the Jazz and built the arena. He also owned the WNBA's Starzz, the IHL Golden Eagles, and the Pacific Coast League's Salt Lake Bees. Although he never went to college, as a Mormon, he donated heavily to BYU, and they named their baseball complex Larry H. Miller field for him.
In addition, the Jazz have statues of Stockton and Malone outside one of the longer entrances. The two of them, and Maravich, were named to the NBA's 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players. Basketball Hall-of-Famers associated with the Jazz are Maravich, Dantley, Stockton, Malone, Sloan, Gail Goodrich (3 seasons in New Orleans), Walt Bellamy (1 season in New Orleans), Elgin Baylor (ditto, as coach), Spencer Haywood (the last season in New Orleans) and Bernard King (the 1st season in Utah).
Stuff. The Fanzz Jazz Team Store is on the northwest side of the building.

There aren't many books about the Jazz. Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball and The Blind Side, wrote: To the Brink: Stockton, Malone, and the Utah Jazz's Climb to the Edge of Glory after their 1997 and '98 Finals appearances. Nate LeBoutillier contributed the Jazz' entry in the NBA's A History of Hoops series. Stockton wrote an autobiography, Assisted. Malone, nicknamed The Mailman for his ability to "deliver," was profiled in Clayton Geoffreys' bio Karl Malone: The Remarkable Story of One of Basketball's Greatest Power Forwards.

Don't count on finding any Jazz DVDs, not even a 20th 25th or 30th Anniversary video (1999, 2004 or 2009). The only one available on Amazon.com is of Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, and they lost that one: Michael Jordan's "Flu Game."

During the Game. The Jazz' biggest rivalries are with the Denver Nuggets, the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Lakers. Their don't have any special animus for either the Knicks or the Nets. They are not going to bother you.

Then again, a 2008 Bleacher Report article called Jazz fans "The Most Disgusting Fans in the NBA." The author has a point. I thought Boston Celtics fans were bad, but they've never been this bad.

The Jazz hold National Anthem auditions every September for the entire season, instead of having a regular singer. A group called the Basketball Rockers has recorded a theme song for them, based on the Mortal Kombat video game series. There are no notable Jazz fan chants.

Dan Roberts has been the team's public address announcer since they arrived in 1979. The team's mascot is Jazz Bear. He rides onto the court on a motorcycle, wearing a Jazz uniform with Number 00, and a headband. He was named NBA Mascot of the Year in 2008. But he looks like a ripoff of Squatch, the mascot of the now-moved Seattle SuperSonics.

After the Game. Salt Lake City is one of the safest cities in the NBA. You should have no trouble getting back to your car or your hotel all right.

If you want to go out for a postgame meal or drinks, the Squatters' Tavern inside the arena might still be open. The Gateway mall across North 400 West may have some places open.

As far as I know, there are no bars or restaurants anywhere near Salt Lake City that are known hangouts for New Yorkers.

Sidelights. Aside from the Jazz, Salt Lake City doesn't have much sports history, but may still be worth a visit beyond the game.

* Salt Palace. There have actually been 3 buildings with this name, but only the 2nd is connected to sports. Opening in 1969, it hosted minor-league hockey's Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1969 to 1991; the ABA's Utah Stars from 1970 to 1975, including their 1971 ABA Championship; and the Jazz from 1979 to 1991. The Beatles never performed in Utah, but Elvis Presley sang at the Salt Palace on November 16, 1971 and July 2, 1974.

For most of its history, it seated a little over 12,000 people. By the time the Jazz got good in the mid-1980s, among the NBA's 23 teams, only the Milwaukee Bucks had an arena with a smaller capacity. It was time to build a larger arena.

On of the last events there was an AC/DC concert on January 18, 1991, at which fans rushed the stage, and 3 of them were trampled to death. It took 20 minutes for someone to get word to the band about what had happened, and they stopped the concert. Most likely, you didn't hear about this (unless you were a fan of the band or a Utah native) because the Persian Gulf War had started 2 nights before, and that was all that TV news wanted to talk about. A lawsuit was filed against the arena operators and the band, and was eventually settled out of court.

The Salt Palace was demolished in 1994. The Salt Palace Convention Center was built on the site, and includes the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art and a concert hall, Abravanel Hall. 100 South Temple.

* Smith's Ballpark. This 15,411-seat ballpark, one of the largest in the minor leagues, has been the home of the Salt Lake team in the Pacific Coast League since 1994, known first as the Buzz, then as the Stingers starting in 2001, and as the Bees since 2006. They are currently a farm team of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

It was built on the site of Derks Field, which had been home to area baseball since 1947. The original Salt Lake City baseball team played from 1911 to 1984. As the Bees, they won the Pioneer League (then Class C) Pennant in 1946, 1948 and 1953, and the PCL Pennant in 1959. As the Salt Lake City Angels, they won the PCL Pennant in 1971. As the Salt Lake City Gulls, they won the PCL Pennant in 1979. But the current Bees have never won a Pennant, last making the Playoffs in 2013.

The Salt Lake Trappers won Pioneer League (now a Rookie League) Pennants in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1991, making a total of 10 Pennants for Salt Lake City teams. En route to the 1987 Pennant, they won 29 straight games, to set a North American professional baseball record. In 1994, the Trappers moved upstate to become the Ogden Raptors. 1365 South West Temple, 2 1/2 miles south of Temple Square. Ballpark station on TRAX light rail.

* Rice-Eccles Stadium. Home to University of Utah football since 1998, this 45,807-seat stadium was the centerpiece of the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was built on the site of the previous Rice Stadium, built in 1927. It hosted Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake from 2005 to 2008, and a U.S. soccer team win over Costa Rica on June 4, 2005. 451 1400 East.

* Jon M. Huntsman Center. Home to University of Utah basketball since 1969, it was originally named the Special Events Center. It was renamed for a major university contributor, the founder of Huntsman Chemical Corporation and the father of a former Governor. (Both are still alive.)

Most notably, it hosted the 1979 NCAA Final Four, including the legendary Final, won by Earvin "Magic" Johnson's Michigan State over Larry Bird's Indiana State. It has hosted 81 NCAA Tournament games, 2nd only to the University of Dayton Arena's 91.

Both the stadium, at 451 1400 East, and the Huntsman Center, at 1825 East South Campus Drive, are about 3 miles east of downtown, and can be reached by TRAX light rail at University Campus South station.

Utah State is in Logan, 83 miles north on U.S. Route 89. It is not easily reachable by public transportation. BYU is in Provo, 45 miles south on I-15. TRAX does extend to Provo Central Station, taking about an hour, and then you can transfer to the 830 or 831 bus to the campus.

* Rio Tinto Stadium. Home of Real Salt Lake since 2008, including its 2013 MLS Cup season, this 20,213-seat soccer-specific stadium has also hosted 3 U.S. soccer team matches, all victories, most recently a 2013 win over Cuba. The U.S. women's team also has a perfect 3-0 record there. 9256 State Street in the suburb of Sandy. TRAX to Sandy Expo Station, a 48-minute ride.

* Maverik Center. Originally known as the E Center, this 12,500-seat arena hosted the 2002 Winter Olympic hockey tournament. The East Coast Hockey League's Utah Grizzlies have played there since it opened in 1997. (Yes, I know: Utah is on neither the Pacific Coast nor the East Coast. I didn't name these leagues.) 3200 Decker Lake Drive, in the suburb of West Valley City. TRAX to Decker Lake station.

Don't count on Salt Lake City ever getting a team in a sport other than the NBA and MLS. Its metro area population would rank it 29th in MLB, 26th in the NFL, and 23rd in the NHL. For now, the closest teams in those leagues are in Denver, 523 miles away.

Utah has never produced a President. Mitt Romney, born in Detroit and living most of his life in Boston, but having a home in the Salt Lake suburb of Park City, was nominated for President in 2012, but didn't come all that close to winning. So there's no Presidential Library or Museum nearby.

The most famous Utahan remains Mormon leader Brigham Young, and his home, The Beehive House, is a Salt Lake City landmark. The spot where Young told his followers, "This is the place" is now the This Is The Place Heritage Park, a "living history" park, a "Mormon Williamsburg" if you prefer. 2601 Sunnyside Avenue South. It is part of the University of Utah campus, as is the Natural History Museum at 301 Wakara Way. Like the This Is The Place. Both can be reached by Bus 3 from Temple Square.

As I mentioned, the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art is part of the new Salt Palace complex. The Museum for Speed includes exhibits about the speed records set at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats. 165 East 600 South. Bus 200 from Temple Square.

Golden Spike National Historic Site, where the Union Pacific and Central Pacific Railroads met to form the first transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869 is at Promontory Point, at 6200 North 22300th Street West, in Brigham City, 86 miles northwest of Salt Lake City and around the Great Salt Lake itself, up I-15 and Utah Route 83. Ironically, it's not reachable by train, or bus: You'd have to rent a car to see it.

The tallest building in the State of Utah is the Wells Fargo Center in Salt Lake City, 422 feet high. (It should not be confused with the building of the same name that is the new Philadelphia sports arena.) Main Street and 300 South. But the most famous building in the State remains the Salt Lake Temple at Temple Square, the Mormons'"Vatican."

As the home of National Monument Valley, many of the films made in Utah have been Westerns, including Stagecoach, The Searchers, How the West Was Won, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid -- which gave its name to Kid portrayer Robert Redford's Sundance Film Festival -- and the Wild West scenes from Back to the Future III. The beginning sequence of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, with 18-year-old River Phoenix playing a 13-year-old Indy, was said by the credits to take place in "Utah, 1912," and was indeed filmed in the State. The spot in Forrest Gump where Forrest stops running is on U.S. Route 163 in Monument Valley.

As for Salt Lake City itself, a scene from Legally Blonde 2 was filmed at the Jazz' arena. The High School Musical movies were filmed at East High School, 3 miles east of downtown. 840 1300 East. Bus 220.

But the most famous movie shot in Salt Lake was set in California's San Fernando Valley in 1962: The Sandlot. The houses of Scotty Smalls and Benny "the Jet" Rodriguez are at the corner of Bryan Avenue and 2000 East, 5 miles southeast of downtown. Also Bus 220. The actual sandlot, renovated for the film's 20th Anniversary in 2013, is behind 1386 Glenrose Drive South at Navajo Street, 4 miles southwest of Temple Square. Bus 516 from Temple Square. Patrick Renna, who played catcher Hamilton "The Great Hambino" Porter, filmed another movie in SLC, The Great Unknown, in 1997.

TV shows set and/or filmed in Utah include the late 1950s Western Union Pacific, Touched By an Angel (the angels' car had Utah license plates), its spinoff Promised Land, Everwood, and the Mormon-themed drama Big Love and reality series Sister Wives.

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Like a lot of cities, Salt Lake City can be a bit of an acquired taste. But it's a good basketball town, and it could be a good roadtrip for a Knicks or Nets fan.

A week from tonight, the New York Knicks will visit the Portland Trail Blazers. The Brooklyn Nets will visit on February 23.

Before You Go. Like its Pacific Northwest neighbors Seattle and Vancouver, Portland is notorious for rain. The game will be indoors, but you won't be indoors on the entire visit. The website for The Oregonian, Portland's major newspaper, says the temperatures will be in the 40s all day and all night next Saturday, and there will, yes, be rain.

Portland is in the Pacific Time Zone, 3 hours behind New York. Adjust your timepieces accordingly.

Tickets. At the old Coliseum, the Blazers couldn't even fit 13,000 people. From their 1977 title run until they moved out in 1995, the attendance was the same every night: 12,880, later 12,888. That was 814 consecutive sellouts.

Today, they're in the Moda Center, with 19,441 seats. They haven't sold out every game in the 20 years since they moved it, but they did average 19,554 last season, so that's more than a sellout. Tickets will be tough to get.

But, for the moment, they are available. Tickets in the 100 Level are, according to the team's website, available for "As low as $88." In the 200 Level, "As low as $59." In the 300 Level, "As low as $24." By NBA standards, that's quite cheap.

Getting There. It’s 2,895 miles from Times Square to the Moda Center in Portland. In other words, if you’re going, you’re going to want to fly.

After all, even if you get someone to go with you, and you take turns, one drives while the other one sleeps, and you pack 2 days’ worth of food, and you use the side of the Interstate as a toilet, and you don’t get pulled over for speeding, you’ll still need over 2 full days to get there. One way.

But, for future reference, if you really, really want to drive... Get onto Interstate 80 West in New Jersey, and stay on that through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. Outside Ogden, Utah, at Exit 168, switch to Interstate 84 West. Take that into Idaho and Oregon, all the way to the end of I-84.

Not counting rest stops, you should be in New Jersey for an hour and a half, Pennsylvania for 5:15, Ohio for 4 hours, Indiana for 2:30, Illinois for 2:45, Iowa for 5 hours, Nebraska for 6:45, Wyoming for 6:30, Utah for 3:30, Idaho for 5:30, and Oregon for 6:15. In total, that's around 49 1/2 hours. Given rest stops, we're talking more like 60 hours -- 2 1/2 days.

That’s still faster than Greyhound (70 hours, changing buses in Denver, $526 round-trip but it could drop to $417 with advanced purchase) and Amtrak (67 hours, changing in Chicago, $464 before booking sleeping arrangements). Union Station, which serves both carriers, is at 550 NW 6th Avenue. 6th & Hoyt station on MAX.

On Amtrak, you would leave Penn Station on the Lake Shore Limited at 3:40 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, arrive at Union Station in Chicago at 9:45 AM Central Time on Thursday, and board the Empire Builder at 2:15 PM, and would reach Union Station in Portland at 10:10 AM Pacific Time on Saturday.

A round-trip flight from Newark to Portland, for the distance, is quite cheap: It can be had for $414, if you don't mind changing planes in Dallas or Phoenix. The MAX Red Line will get you from the airport to downtown in 33 minutes.

Once In the City. Founded in 1845 as the end of the Oregon Trail, in the shadow of Mount Hood, legend has it that the name of the town was decided by a coin flip. Francis Pettygrove wanted to name the town after his hometown of Portland, Maine. Asa Lovejoy was from Groton, Massachusetts. Pettygrove won, and that's why the Knicks aren't playing the Groton Trail Blazers next Saturday.

Portland, a.k.a. the Rose City has a population of around 620,000, and a metro area of about 3 million. It's still growing, but not as fast as it was in the 1980s and '90s, when a group successfully lobbied to slow down the suburban sprawl. It was named PLAN, for Prevent Los Angelization Now.

The State of Oregon has no sales tax, and this covers the County of Multnomah and the City of Portland. The Willamette River is the divider between east and west, and Burnside Street, including its bridge over the river, is the divider between north and south.

TriMet, the area's public transit service, runs buses and the MAX light rail system. A single fare is $2.50, while a day pass is $5.00. They also run the WES Commuter Rail.

Going In. The official address of the Moda Center is 1 North Center Court Street. The building is bounded by Ramsay Way (named for former head coach Jack Ramsay) on the north, Wheeler Avenue on the east, Multnomah Street on the south and Center Court Street on the west. MAX reaches the arena via Rose Quarter and Interstate stations.

Definitely walk from your hotel or take public transit, because parking spaces are expensive, running around $22. If you do come in by MAX, you'll probably be entering through the south side of the arena.
Opening in 1995 as the Rose Garden, it was renamed for healthcare provider Moda Health in 2013. It is also home to the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks (for some but not all games), and the Arena Football League's Portland Thunder. The court is aligned northwest to southeast.

December 6, 2015: The Jets beat the Giants, 23-20 in overtime at MetLife Stadium. Officially, it was a Giant home game, with Giant season-ticketholders. But the Jets won.

Also today, the New England Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles, knocking the Cheatriots from the 1st to the 3rd seed in the AFC Playoffs, and giving the Eagles at least as good a chance of winning the weakest NFC East I've ever seen. The Washington Redskins, currently leading the Division, play the Dallas Cowboys tomorrow night on Monday Night Football.

And the Carolina Panthers survived an onslaught from the New Orleans Saints, 41-38, to remain undefeated at 12-0. Despite the Pats having lost last week, the surviving 1972 Miami Dolphins can't do their annual champagne toast yet.

Yes, Giant fans should feel pretty bad about getting beat by the Jets in what was, essentially, a home game. Giant management should start planning for next year now, including putting aging head coach Tom Coughlin out to pasture.

Then again, Giant fans and Giant management should feel glad that the team even exists. Ninety years ago today, having the team play the next season was by no means a given.

December 6, 1925, 90 years ago: The New York Giants football team, in its 1st season of play, is in deep financial trouble, in spite of a 10-3 record to this point. So few fans have come out to the Polo Grounds, team owners Tim and Jack Mara, brothers, moved their crosstown Thanksgiving Day contest against the Staten Island Stapletons to Albany. (The Jints beat the Stapes 7-0.)

If the NFL’s New York team fails, so will the league.

Red Grange to the rescue. Harold Edward Grange, "the Galloping Ghost" out of the University of Illinois, the most famous (or, at least, the most-hyped) player in the history of college football, comes in with his new teammates, the Chicago Bears.

A crowd of 68,000 people pays to get into the Polo Grounds, more than the Giants' last 3 home games combined. It's believed that another 8,000 crashed the gate, making the 74,000 crowd the biggest in the NFL's 6-season history to that point.

The Ghost lives up to the hype: He scores a touchdown on a 35-yard interception return, runs for 53 yards on 11 carries, catches a 23-yard pass, and completes 2 of 3 passes for 32 yards. He could do everything except kick.

The Bears win, 19-0, but that's beside the point: The gate receipts from all the people coming out to see Grange mean that the Giants will be able to play the 1926 season. In 1927, they finish 1st, taking the 1st of what is now 8 NFL Championships.

The Bears? They were a good team throughout the 1st decade of NFL play, winning the title in 1921, but won't win another title until 1932. By that point, Grange will be joined by Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski, and they will win the title in 1933 as well.

Grange was the template for every speedy scatback who follows him: Steve Van Buren, Doak Walker, Frank Gifford, Lenny Moore, Paul Hornung, Gale Sayers, O.J. Simpson, Tony Dorsett, Marcus Allen, Walter Payton, Terrell Davis, Marshall Faulk, Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson.

Nagurski is the model for every big bruising fullback to come: Clarke Hinkle, Marion Motley, Tank Younger, Jim Taylor, Jim Brown, Larry Csonka, Franco Harris, John Riggins, Roger Craig, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis.

This -- not the 1958 NFL Championship Game that the Giants lost to the Baltimore Colts at Yankee Stadium -- is not only the biggest football game ever played in New York, it is the most important game in the history of American professional football. If Grange had, for whatever reason, been unable to play, the Giants would have folded, and the NFL would probably have gone down the tubes during the Great Depression.

This might have opened the door for soccer, with its working-class roots and ethnic appeal (most U.S. soccer teams at that point were ethnically based) to become America's fall and winter sport, possibly also hurting basketball and hockey. If you want to know why "football" made it in America, and "futbol" didn't until the 1970s, this, as much as America's natural distrust for "foreign" things, is the moment: This date, 90 years ago.

In spite of the historical significance of the game, no film of it is known to survive. So I posted a picture of the game program.

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But that wasn't the only significant sports moment in New York on this day.